LAWRENCE, Kan. –&nbsp;Kansas super-senior center Taiyanna Jackson has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the 2024 Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year award. This is the second-consecutive year that Jackson has been a semifinalist for the award. The semifinalists were announced on Monday by the Naismith Awards.

The award, which has been presented since 2018, goes to the most outstanding women’s defensive basketball player who achieves tremendous on-court success. Jackson was one of 15 players named to the Naismith Watch List on Jan. 24. The four finalists for the award will be announced on March 20, and the 2024 Women’s Naismith Defensive Player of the Year will be named on April 3.

A third-year member of the Kansas Women’s Basketball program, Jackson has left her mark on the record books at KU. She holds each of the top three single-season blocked shot totals in program history, setting the record with 95 in 2021-22 before surpassing it with 109 last season. This year, Jackson has 94 blocks, an average of 3.1 per game, which ranks third nationally. Jackson became KU’s all-time leader in blocks earlier this season, and she has extended that record to 298, which ranks fifth among active NCAA Division I players.

Jackson is second on the team with 12.6 points per game this season, while ranking second in the Big 12 with 9.8 rebounds per game and a field goal percentage of 58.7%. With 1,203 career points, Jackson is No. 23 on KU’s all-time scoring list, and in the Jayhawks’ Big 12 quarterfinal against Texas, she became the third player in school history to grab 1,000 career rebounds. Jackson is third in school history with 40 double-doubles and second with 49 career games with 10 or more rebounds.

The East Chicago, Indiana native is a three-time All-Big 12 and Big 12 All-Defensive Team selection while at Kansas. She is now a two-time Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist and last season she was a candidate for the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award. Jackson was also named WBCA Honorable Mention All-America last season before being named the Most Valuable Player of the 2023 WNIT.

Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalists Cameron Brink, F, Stanford Jordyn Cambridge, G, Vanderbilt Kamilla Cardoso, C, South Carolina Hannah Hidalgo, G, Notre Dame Taiyanna Jackson, C, Kansas Elizabeth Kitley, C, Virginia Tech Ayoka Lee, C, Kansas State JJ Quinerly, G, West Virginia Angel Reese, F, LSU Celeste Taylor, G, Ohio State

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710179122312.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Kansas AthleticsLAWRENCE, Kan. –&nbsp;Kansas super-senior center Taiyanna Jackson has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the 2024 Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year award. This is the second-consecutive year that Jackson has been a semifinalist for the award. The semifinalists were announced on Monday by the Naismith Awards.The award, which has been presented since 2018, goes to the most outstanding women’s defensive basketball player who achieves tremendous on-court success. Jackson was one of 15 players named to the Naismith Watch List on Jan. 24. The four finalists for the award will be announced on March 20, and the 2024 Women’s Naismith Defensive Player of the Year will be named on April 3.A third-year member of the Kansas Women’s Basketball program, Jackson has left her mark on the record books at KU. She holds each of the top three single-season blocked shot totals in program history, setting the record with 95 in 2021-22 before surpassing it with 109 last season. This year, Jackson has 94 blocks, an average of 3.1 per game, which ranks third nationally. Jackson became KU’s all-time leader in blocks earlier this season, and she has extended that record to 298, which ranks fifth among active NCAA Division I players.Jackson is second on the team with 12.6 points per game this season, while ranking second in the Big 12 with 9.8 rebounds per game and a field goal percentage of 58.7%. With 1,203 career points, Jackson is No. 23 on KU’s all-time scoring list, and in the Jayhawks’ Big 12 quarterfinal against Texas, she became the third player in school history to grab 1,000 career rebounds. Jackson is third in school history with 40 double-doubles and second with 49 career games with 10 or more rebounds.The East Chicago, Indiana native is a three-time All-Big 12 and Big 12 All-Defensive Team selection while at Kansas. She is now a two-time Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist and last season she was a candidate for the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award. Jackson was also named WBCA Honorable Mention All-America last season before being named the Most Valuable Player of the 2023 WNIT.Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalists Cameron Brink, F, Stanford Jordyn Cambridge, G, Vanderbilt Kamilla Cardoso, C, South Carolina Hannah Hidalgo, G, Notre Dame Taiyanna Jackson, C, Kansas Elizabeth Kitley, C, Virginia Tech Ayoka Lee, C, Kansas State JJ Quinerly, G, West Virginia Angel Reese, F, LSU Celeste Taylor, G, Ohio State

🏀 WBB: KU's Jackson named Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist

In Houston’s first season as a Big 12 member, Jamal Shead was named both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year while Kelvin Sampson was selected Coach of the Year to highlight the 2023-24 Phillips 66 All-Big 12 men’s basketball awards, chosen by the head coaches. In the other individual awards, Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson notched Newcomer of the Year, Baylor’s Ja’Kobe Walter was chosen Freshman of the Year, BYU’s Jaxson Robinson was picked for the Sixth Man Award and Texas’ Dylan Disu received Most Improved Player. &nbsp;

The All-Big 12 First Team was comprised of Shead, who was a unanimous selection, Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State), Dickinson (Kansas), Kevin McCullar Jr. (Kansas) and Disu (Texas).

Shead is the only student-athlete in the nation to rank among the Top-20 individual leaders in assists per game (623, 16th), steals per game (2.29, 10th) and assist-turnover ratio (3.16, 19th). In conference games, the senior guard ranked sixth in scoring (15.67), sixth in field goal percentage (101-250/.404), second in assists (6.50), third in steals (2.24) and first in assist/TO ratio (3.44). He was also a two-time Big 12 Player of the Week selection.

In his first season in Lawrence, Dickinson was the Big 12’s leading scorer (17.56 ) and rebounder (9.61) in league games. He ranked second in field goal percentage (134-260/.564) and fourth in blocks (1.44). In overall games, the 7-2 senior forward was the top rebounder and only player to average in double-figures (10.84) as well as the second-leading scorer (17.97). Additionally, he posted the best field goal percentage (235-427/.550) and brought home six Big 12 weekly awards, three each as Player and Newcomer of the Week.

Walter has started all 31 of Baylor’s games in his rookie collegiate season. His 13.8 points and .800 (84-105) free throw percentage&nbsp; in league games leads his team and is tied for 14th and ranks 15th in the Conference, respectively. The 6-5 guard captured the season’s first Big 12 Player of the Week.

Robinson leads BYU in scoring (13.8) as the first player off the bench. In Big 12 outings, he averages 12.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.9 three-pointers per game. The senior guard helped BYU to a tie for fifth in its inaugural Big 12 season after the team was picked 13th in the preseason poll.

Disu missed Texas’ first nine games of the season with an injury and made his first appearance on December 16. He is the second-leading scorer (17.17) in Big 12 games, third in field goal percentage (112-223/.502) and 16th in rebounding (5.22). Additionally, he is tied for seventh in blocks (1.06) and 13th in steals (1.44). The graduate student forward was named Big 12 Player of the Week on February 12. Last season he averaged 8.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in league games.

In his 35th season as a head coach, Sampson led the Cougars to the Big 12 regular season title with a 15-3 mark. Houston is 28-3 overall and ranked No. 1 in the nation heading into postseason with a nine-game win streak. Sampson is the first head coach to guide a program to regular season titles at two different Big 12 schools. He claimed a share of the 2004-05 championship while at Oklahoma. This is his ninth conference Coach of the Year award from five different leagues.

Big 12 teams will begin postseason play in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship March 12-16 in Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center. Visit Big12Sports.com for Championship information.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1688649229348.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://big12sports.com/documents/2024/3/10//2023_24_All_Big_12_MBB_Teams.pdf">2023-24 ALL-BIG 12 MBB TEAM</a>In Houston’s first season as a Big 12 member, Jamal Shead was named both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year while Kelvin Sampson was selected Coach of the Year to highlight the 2023-24 Phillips 66 All-Big 12 men’s basketball awards, chosen by the head coaches. In the other individual awards, Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson notched Newcomer of the Year, Baylor’s Ja’Kobe Walter was chosen Freshman of the Year, BYU’s Jaxson Robinson was picked for the Sixth Man Award and Texas’ Dylan Disu received Most Improved Player. &nbsp;The All-Big 12 First Team was comprised of Shead, who was a unanimous selection, Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State), Dickinson (Kansas), Kevin McCullar Jr. (Kansas) and Disu (Texas).Shead is the only student-athlete in the nation to rank among the Top-20 individual leaders in assists per game (623, 16th), steals per game (2.29, 10th) and assist-turnover ratio (3.16, 19th). In conference games, the senior guard ranked sixth in scoring (15.67), sixth in field goal percentage (101-250/.404), second in assists (6.50), third in steals (2.24) and first in assist/TO ratio (3.44). He was also a two-time Big 12 Player of the Week selection.In his first season in Lawrence, Dickinson was the Big 12’s leading scorer (17.56 ) and rebounder (9.61) in league games. He ranked second in field goal percentage (134-260/.564) and fourth in blocks (1.44). In overall games, the 7-2 senior forward was the top rebounder and only player to average in double-figures (10.84) as well as the second-leading scorer (17.97). Additionally, he posted the best field goal percentage (235-427/.550) and brought home six Big 12 weekly awards, three each as Player and Newcomer of the Week.Walter has started all 31 of Baylor’s games in his rookie collegiate season. His 13.8 points and .800 (84-105) free throw percentage&nbsp; in league games leads his team and is tied for 14th and ranks 15th in the Conference, respectively. The 6-5 guard captured the season’s first Big 12 Player of the Week.Robinson leads BYU in scoring (13.8) as the first player off the bench. In Big 12 outings, he averages 12.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.9 three-pointers per game. The senior guard helped BYU to a tie for fifth in its inaugural Big 12 season after the team was picked 13th in the preseason poll.Disu missed Texas’ first nine games of the season with an injury and made his first appearance on December 16. He is the second-leading scorer (17.17) in Big 12 games, third in field goal percentage (112-223/.502) and 16th in rebounding (5.22). Additionally, he is tied for seventh in blocks (1.06) and 13th in steals (1.44). The graduate student forward was named Big 12 Player of the Week on February 12. Last season he averaged 8.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in league games.In his 35th season as a head coach, Sampson led the Cougars to the Big 12 regular season title with a 15-3 mark. Houston is 28-3 overall and ranked No. 1 in the nation heading into postseason with a nine-game win streak. Sampson is the first head coach to guide a program to regular season titles at two different Big 12 schools. He claimed a share of the 2004-05 championship while at Oklahoma. This is his ninth conference Coach of the Year award from five different leagues.Big 12 teams will begin postseason play in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship March 12-16 in Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center. Visit Big12Sports.com for Championship information.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏀 MBB: Phillips 66 All-Big 12 Conference awards announced

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701263164849.png" alt="Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for Monday, March 11th, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for Monday, March 11th, 2024</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="March 11th,2024 Early Morning Sports" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=3psdr-15a7857-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

🎧 LISTEN: 🏀 WBB Big 12 results, 3A and local results 🏀 Region VI getting ready for Tuesday 

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Houston point guard Jamal Shead has been voted by Big 12 coaches as the conference’s player of the year. Shead, the senior also tabbed as top defensive player, was the only unanimous pick on the first team revealed Sunday. The other first-team picks are Kansas center Hunter Dickinson, the Michigan transfer who was also the newcomer of the year, along with Iowa State sophomore guard Tamin Lipsey, Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. and Texas forward Dylan Disu. Kelvin Sampson of the 28-3 Cougars was named coach of the year after they won the regular-season title in their inaugural Big 12 season.

UNDATED (AP) — A person familiar with the details told The Associated Press that quarterback Russell Wilson has agreed to sign a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Sunday night because the contract hasn’t been finalized and added Wilson will receive the veteran’s minimum of $1.21 million while the Denver Broncos pay the remainder of his $39 million salary. Wilson posted his intentions on X, formerly known as Twitter. He was 11-19 in two seasons with the Broncos.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that quarterback Baker Mayfield is staying with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after agreeing to a three-year contract worth up to $115 million. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement, which includes $50 million guaranteed, has not been finalized. Mayfield has played with four different teams over the past three seasons. He resurrected his career in 2023, joining the Bucs on a one-year contract after Tom Brady retired and leading the team to a third consecutive NFC South title. The agreement comes two days after Tampa Bay finalized a two-year, $52 million deal with receiver Mike Evans.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers are planning to cut their longest tenured player by releasing defensive tackle Arik Armstead in a salary cap move. A person informed of the team’s decision said Armstead will be released and hit the open market after the start of the new league year on Wednesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the move. Bleacher Report first reported that the Niners planned to release Armstead.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler is the best in golf from tee to green. He was hot with the putter at Bay Hill and the result was predictable. Scheffler demolished a strong field to win by five shots. It's the largest margin at the Arnold Palmer Invitational since Tiger Woods in 2012. Scheffler shot a 66 in the final round while playing in the last group. That was the best score by two shots on Sunday. U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark had a 70 and was runner-up.

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Christopher Bell surged into the lead when Martin Truex Jr. was forced to pit and pulled away for an emotional NASCAR Cup Series win at Phoenix Raceway. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s victory comes on the heels of a pair of heartbreaks in the desert. Two years ago, JGR vice chairman Coy Gibbs was found dead in his hotel room following his son Ty’s Xfinity season championship. Bell made it to the Cup Series championship four in November, but a broken rotor spoiled his championship hopes in the season finale at Phoenix. Bell’s win in the No. 20 Toyota also ended Chevrolet’s perfect start to the season after winning the first three races. He is the eighth winner in as many races at Phoenix Raceway’s mile tri-oval.

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina forward Kamilla Cardoso was one of six players ejected from the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game after she shoved LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson to the floor late in the fourth quarter. Gamecocks guard MiLaysia Fulwiley had stolen the ball from Johnson, who wrapped her up and was called for an intentional foul. Johnson bumped South Carolina’s Ashlyn Watkins while heading to her bench, and then the 6-foot-7 Cardoso rushed in and pushed the 5-10 Johnson to the ground. In all, four South Carolina players were ejected and the Gamecocks had six remaining. LSU was left with only five players after two were disqualified. Cardoso apologized in a social media post after the game.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark overcame a cold start to score 30 of her 34 points after halftime in third-ranked Iowa's rally past Nebraska 94-89 in overtime to win a third straight Big Ten Tournament. Hannah Stuelke finished with 25 points and nine rebounds for the Hawkeyes after they trailed by 13 points in the first half. Their superstar Clark missed all nine of her 3-point attempts in the first half. She hit a 3 with 51 seconds left in overtime to give Iowa the lead for good. Alexis Markowski had 23 points and 13 rebounds for Nebraska.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Lindsey Horan scored on a header in first-half stoppage time and the United States beat Brazil 1-0 on Sunday to win the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup. The United States lifted the trophy despite being stunned by a loss to Mexico in the group stage of the tournament. It was the first women’s Gold Cup, with the event created to bring teams in the region more meaningful competition. It was the fourth time that the United States faced Brazil in a tournament final. The Americans also won the previous three, including the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. The game drew a sellout crowd of 31,528 to San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium, a record crowd for a CONCACAF women’s match.

Final San Francisco 5 Chicago White Sox 4

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Monday, March 11th, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Monday, March 11th, 2024</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="March 11th,2024 Early Morning Sports" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=3psdr-15a7857-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>IRVING, Texas (AP) — Houston point guard Jamal Shead has been voted by Big 12 coaches as the conference’s player of the year. Shead, the senior also tabbed as top defensive player, was the only unanimous pick on the first team revealed Sunday. The other first-team picks are Kansas center Hunter Dickinson, the Michigan transfer who was also the newcomer of the year, along with Iowa State sophomore guard Tamin Lipsey, Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. and Texas forward Dylan Disu. Kelvin Sampson of the 28-3 Cougars was named coach of the year after they won the regular-season title in their inaugural Big 12 season.UNDATED (AP) — A person familiar with the details told The Associated Press that quarterback Russell Wilson has agreed to sign a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Sunday night because the contract hasn’t been finalized and added Wilson will receive the veteran’s minimum of $1.21 million while the Denver Broncos pay the remainder of his $39 million salary. Wilson posted his intentions on X, formerly known as Twitter. He was 11-19 in two seasons with the Broncos.TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that quarterback Baker Mayfield is staying with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after agreeing to a three-year contract worth up to $115 million. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement, which includes $50 million guaranteed, has not been finalized. Mayfield has played with four different teams over the past three seasons. He resurrected his career in 2023, joining the Bucs on a one-year contract after Tom Brady retired and leading the team to a third consecutive NFC South title. The agreement comes two days after Tampa Bay finalized a two-year, $52 million deal with receiver Mike Evans.SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers are planning to cut their longest tenured player by releasing defensive tackle Arik Armstead in a salary cap move. A person informed of the team’s decision said Armstead will be released and hit the open market after the start of the new league year on Wednesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the move. Bleacher Report first reported that the Niners planned to release Armstead.ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler is the best in golf from tee to green. He was hot with the putter at Bay Hill and the result was predictable. Scheffler demolished a strong field to win by five shots. It's the largest margin at the Arnold Palmer Invitational since Tiger Woods in 2012. Scheffler shot a 66 in the final round while playing in the last group. That was the best score by two shots on Sunday. U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark had a 70 and was runner-up.AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Christopher Bell surged into the lead when Martin Truex Jr. was forced to pit and pulled away for an emotional NASCAR Cup Series win at Phoenix Raceway. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s victory comes on the heels of a pair of heartbreaks in the desert. Two years ago, JGR vice chairman Coy Gibbs was found dead in his hotel room following his son Ty’s Xfinity season championship. Bell made it to the Cup Series championship four in November, but a broken rotor spoiled his championship hopes in the season finale at Phoenix. Bell’s win in the No. 20 Toyota also ended Chevrolet’s perfect start to the season after winning the first three races. He is the eighth winner in as many races at Phoenix Raceway’s mile tri-oval.GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina forward Kamilla Cardoso was one of six players ejected from the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game after she shoved LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson to the floor late in the fourth quarter. Gamecocks guard MiLaysia Fulwiley had stolen the ball from Johnson, who wrapped her up and was called for an intentional foul. Johnson bumped South Carolina’s Ashlyn Watkins while heading to her bench, and then the 6-foot-7 Cardoso rushed in and pushed the 5-10 Johnson to the ground. In all, four South Carolina players were ejected and the Gamecocks had six remaining. LSU was left with only five players after two were disqualified. Cardoso apologized in a social media post after the game.MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark overcame a cold start to score 30 of her 34 points after halftime in third-ranked Iowa's rally past Nebraska 94-89 in overtime to win a third straight Big Ten Tournament. Hannah Stuelke finished with 25 points and nine rebounds for the Hawkeyes after they trailed by 13 points in the first half. Their superstar Clark missed all nine of her 3-point attempts in the first half. She hit a 3 with 51 seconds left in overtime to give Iowa the lead for good. Alexis Markowski had 23 points and 13 rebounds for Nebraska.SAN DIEGO (AP) — Lindsey Horan scored on a header in first-half stoppage time and the United States beat Brazil 1-0 on Sunday to win the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup. The United States lifted the trophy despite being stunned by a loss to Mexico in the group stage of the tournament. It was the first women’s Gold Cup, with the event created to bring teams in the region more meaningful competition. It was the fourth time that the United States faced Brazil in a tournament final. The Americans also won the previous three, including the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. The game drew a sellout crowd of 31,528 to San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium, a record crowd for a CONCACAF women’s match.SUNDAY SCORESTOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALLFinal (3)Purdue 78 Wisconsin 70Final (12)Illinois 73 Iowa 61MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALLINTERLEAGUEFinal Miami 3 Houston 0Final Detroit 3 N.Y. Mets 2Final Washington 7 Minnesota 3Final N.Y. Yankees 9 Atlanta 8Final Cincinnati 5 Cleveland 3Final L.A. Angels 5 San Diego 4Final Chicago Cubs 5 Texas 1Final Seattle 8 San Francisco 3Final San Francisco 5 Chicago White Sox 4AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal Baltimore 11 Toronto 6Final Boston 7 Tampa Bay 6Final Oakland 6 Kansas City 3Final Toronto 6 Baltimore 6NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal Philadelphia 9 Pittsburgh 7Final St. Louis 12 Miami 8Final Colorado 3 Milwaukee 1Final L.A. Dodgers 12 Arizona 1NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal Milwaukee 124 L.A. Clippers 117Final New Orleans 116 Atlanta 103Final Washington 110 Miami 108Final Houston 112 Sacramento 104Final Indiana 111 Orlando 97Final Oklahoma City 124 Memphis 93Final Brooklyn 120 Cleveland 101Final Philadelphia 79 New York 73Final L.A. Lakers 120 Minnesota 109NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUEFinal Edmonton 4 Pittsburgh 0Final OT Minnesota 4 Nashville 3Final Carolina 7 Calgary 2

📢📰 Sports Headlines for Monday

<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=mbball&amp;id=13060">BOX SCORE</a>

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After shooting lights out against Central Oklahoma in the quarterfinals, Pittsburg State did it again to Fort Hays State in the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament on Saturday night (March 9). Pittsburg State hit 14-of-20 3-point field goal attempts on its way to a 69-51 victory over FHSU. Fort Hays State is now 23-7 overall, while Pittsburg State moved to 21-9 overall.

The red-hot shooting Gorillas combined with a Tiger team struggling to hit shots in the first eight and a half minutes of the game equated into a 19-0 run to start the game for the Gorillas. A Conner Landell&nbsp;stick-back bucket at the 11:30 mark finally got the Tigers on the board, but it was a very large uphill climb from there and the Tigers never could get close enough to scare the Gorillas.

The nation's top defensive team was finally able to slow down the Gorillas just a bit, but could never generate enough offense to get the lead back inside of 12 points. The Gorillas led 37-21 at the half and then outscored the Tigers by just two in the second half.

The Gorillas hit 11-of-21 (.524) 3-point field goal attempts against UCO in their quarterfinal on Friday night, and then upped their percentage to .700 on Saturday night against the Tigers. In the two games, PSU is 25-of-41 from long range (.610).More than half of PSU's field goals were 3-pointers as it finished with 23 made field goals. The Gorillas shot 53.5 percent overall for the game. On the flip side, FHSU had one of its worst shooting nights of the year at 33.9 percent overall, including just 15.8 percent from 3-point range

Kaleb Hammeke&nbsp;led the Tigers with 10 points, followed by Landell and R.J. Crawford&nbsp;each with eight. Landell led the Tigers in rebounds with seven.

R.J. Forney was a perfect 5-of-5 from 3-point range and Tanner Mans was 4-of-4, getting all of their 27 points combined on 3-point field goals. Jeramy Shaw and Deshaun English II each had 17 points, combining for the other five 3-point field goals.

Fort Hays State will now await the NCAA selection show on Sunday night (March 10) at 10 p.m. on NCAA.com. The Tigers were No. 5 in each of the last two Central Region rankings released by the NCAA.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710075649662.jpeg" alt="Fort Hays State's Conner Landell attampts a shot against Pittsburg State's Deshaun English II in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, March 9, 2024 in Kansas City, Mo. (FHSU Athletics/Ryan Prickett)" />
 <figcaption>Fort Hays State's Conner Landell attampts a shot against Pittsburg State's Deshaun English II in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, March 9, 2024 in Kansas City, Mo. (FHSU Athletics/Ryan Prickett)</figcaption>
 </figure>FHSU Athletics<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=mbball&amp;id=13060">BOX SCORE</a>KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After shooting lights out against Central Oklahoma in the quarterfinals, Pittsburg State did it again to Fort Hays State in the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament on Saturday night (March 9). Pittsburg State hit 14-of-20 3-point field goal attempts on its way to a 69-51 victory over FHSU. Fort Hays State is now 23-7 overall, while Pittsburg State moved to 21-9 overall.The red-hot shooting Gorillas combined with a Tiger team struggling to hit shots in the first eight and a half minutes of the game equated into a 19-0 run to start the game for the Gorillas. A Conner Landell&nbsp;stick-back bucket at the 11:30 mark finally got the Tigers on the board, but it was a very large uphill climb from there and the Tigers never could get close enough to scare the Gorillas.The nation's top defensive team was finally able to slow down the Gorillas just a bit, but could never generate enough offense to get the lead back inside of 12 points. The Gorillas led 37-21 at the half and then outscored the Tigers by just two in the second half.The Gorillas hit 11-of-21 (.524) 3-point field goal attempts against UCO in their quarterfinal on Friday night, and then upped their percentage to .700 on Saturday night against the Tigers. In the two games, PSU is 25-of-41 from long range (.610).More than half of PSU's field goals were 3-pointers as it finished with 23 made field goals. The Gorillas shot 53.5 percent overall for the game. On the flip side, FHSU had one of its worst shooting nights of the year at 33.9 percent overall, including just 15.8 percent from 3-point rangeKaleb Hammeke&nbsp;led the Tigers with 10 points, followed by Landell and R.J. Crawford&nbsp;each with eight. Landell led the Tigers in rebounds with seven.R.J. Forney was a perfect 5-of-5 from 3-point range and Tanner Mans was 4-of-4, getting all of their 27 points combined on 3-point field goals. Jeramy Shaw and Deshaun English II each had 17 points, combining for the other five 3-point field goals.Fort Hays State will now await the NCAA selection show on Sunday night (March 10) at 10 p.m. on NCAA.com. The Tigers were No. 5 in each of the last two Central Region rankings released by the NCAA.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏀 Hot-shooting Gorillas take down Tigers in MIAA semifinals

The NJCAA Division I Region VI Basketball Tournament tipped off on Saturday with first round games across the state. Below are the results.

For more information regarding the Region VI Tournament, click <a href="https://kjccc.prestosports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/files/2024_Women-s_Basketball_Playoffs">here</a> for women's information and <a href="https://kjccc.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/files/2024_Men-s_Basketball_Playoffs">here</a> for men's information.

Region VI Women's First Round Games (9) Cloud County 73, (8) Cowley 67 (5) Coffeyville 67, (12) Colby 52 (7) Garden City 78, (10) Independence 71 (6) Seward County 56, (11) Pratt 50

Region VI Men's First Round Games (8) Coffeyville 88, (9) Pratt 77 (5) Cloud County 79, (12) Colby 54 (6) Garden City 78, (11) Seward County 65 (7) NW Tech 85, (10) Dodge City 74

Region VI Women's Quarterfinal Schedule Games will be played Tuesday, March 12 5:30 p.m. - (1) Hutchinson vs. (9) Cloud County 5:30 p.m. - (4) Barton vs. (5) Coffeyville 5:30 p.m. - (3) Butler vs. (6) Seward County 7 p.m. - (2) Dodge City vs. (7) Garden City

Region VI Men's Quarterfinal Schedule Games will be played Tuesday, March 12 7 p.m. - (2) Cowley vs. (7) NW Tech 7:30 p.m. - (1) Barton vs. (8) Coffeyville 7:30 p.m. - (3) Hutchinson vs. (6) Garden City 7:30 p.m. - (4) Butler vs. (5) Cloud County

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701116844926.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The NJCAA Division I Region VI Basketball Tournament tipped off on Saturday with first round games across the state. Below are the results.For more information regarding the Region VI Tournament, click <a href="https://kjccc.prestosports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/files/2024_Women-s_Basketball_Playoffs">here</a> for women's information and <a href="https://kjccc.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/files/2024_Men-s_Basketball_Playoffs">here</a> for men's information.Region VI Women's First Round Games (9) Cloud County 73, (8) Cowley 67 (5) Coffeyville 67, (12) Colby 52 (7) Garden City 78, (10) Independence 71 (6) Seward County 56, (11) Pratt 50Region VI Men's First Round Games (8) Coffeyville 88, (9) Pratt 77 (5) Cloud County 79, (12) Colby 54 (6) Garden City 78, (11) Seward County 65 (7) NW Tech 85, (10) Dodge City 74Region VI Women's Quarterfinal Schedule Games will be played Tuesday, March 12 5:30 p.m. - (1) Hutchinson vs. (9) Cloud County 5:30 p.m. - (4) Barton vs. (5) Coffeyville 5:30 p.m. - (3) Butler vs. (6) Seward County 7 p.m. - (2) Dodge City vs. (7) Garden CityRegion VI Men's Quarterfinal Schedule Games will be played Tuesday, March 12 7 p.m. - (2) Cowley vs. (7) NW Tech 7:30 p.m. - (1) Barton vs. (8) Coffeyville 7:30 p.m. - (3) Hutchinson vs. (6) Garden City 7:30 p.m. - (4) Butler vs. (5) Cloud County

🏀 NJCAA DI Region VI Tournament first round results

The Kansas State High School Activities Association basketball season wrapped up for the 2023-24 season across the Sunflower State. Congratulations to all of the student-athletes, coaches, managers, training staff and others for another successful season.

2023-24 KSHSAA Girls State Championship Teams 6A: Shawnee Mission South (24-1) 5A: Topeka Seaman (23-2) 4A: Bishop Miege (22-3) 3A: Silver Lake (26-0) 2A: Wichita Independent (22-3) 1A-I: Frankfort (23-3) 1A-II: Hanover (23-4)

2023-24 KSHSAA Boys State Championship Teams 6A: Shawnee Mission NW (25-0) 5A: Kapaun Mt. Carmel (22-3) 4A: McPherson (25-0) 3A: Wellsville (23-3) 2A: Moundridge (23-3) 1A-I: South Gray (24-2) 1A-II: Cunningham (22-3)

CLASS 6A (Wichita) 12 p.m. (G) - Blue Valley North 72 Derby 56&nbsp;- 3rd Place 2 p.m. (B) - Mill Valley 73 Wichita Northwest 58&nbsp;- 3rd Place 4 p.m. (G) - Shawnee Mission South 47 Washburn Rural 37&nbsp;- Championship 6:15 p.m. (B) - Shawnee Mission NW 47 Wichita Heights 39&nbsp;- Championship

CLASS 5A (Emporia) 12 p.m. (B) - Topeka Highland Park 66&nbsp;Maize South 55&nbsp; - 3rd Place 2 p.m. (G) - Andover 66&nbsp;Emporia 49&nbsp;- 3rd Place 4 p.m. (B) -&nbsp;

Kapaun Mt. Carmel&nbsp;62&nbsp;KC Piper 56 - Championship 6:15 p.m. (G) - Topeka Seaman 54 Maize South 41&nbsp;- Championship

CLASS 4A (Salina) 12 p.m. (G) - McPherson 57 Fort Scott 50&nbsp;- 3rd Place 2 p.m. (B) -&nbsp;

Atchison&nbsp;61&nbsp;Baldwin 50&nbsp;- 3rd Place 4 p.m. (G) -&nbsp;

Bishop Miege&nbsp;75&nbsp;Wellington&nbsp;62&nbsp;- Championship 6:15 p.m. (B) - McPherson 65 Hugoton 59 (OT) - Championship

CLASS 3A (Hutchinson) 12 p.m. (B) - Beloit 51 Southeast of Saline 37&nbsp;- 3rd Place 2 p.m. (G) - Topeka Hayden 50 Goodland 39 - 3rd Place 4 p.m. (B) - Wellsville 68 Goodland 58&nbsp;- Championship 6:15 p.m. (G) - Silver Lake 66&nbsp;Hesston 61 - Championship

CLASS 2A (Dodge City) 12 p.m. (G) -&nbsp;

St. Mary's Colgan&nbsp;58&nbsp;Valley Heights 47&nbsp;- 3rd Place 2 p.m. (B) - Salina Sacred Heart 58 Sterling 51&nbsp;- 3rd Place 4 p.m. (G) -&nbsp;

Wichita Independent&nbsp;58&nbsp;Riverside 39&nbsp;&nbsp;- Championship 6:15 p.m. (B) -&nbsp;

Moundridge&nbsp;58&nbsp;Lyndon 44&nbsp;- Championship

CLASS 1A-DIVISION I (Colby) 12 p.m. (B) - Olpe 46 Quinter 32&nbsp;- 3rd Place 2 p.m. (G) - Centralia 58 South Gray 52&nbsp;- 3rd Place 4 p.m. (B) - South Gray&nbsp;76&nbsp;Bishop Seabury Academy 63 - Championship 6:15 p.m. (G) -&nbsp;

Frankfort&nbsp;47&nbsp;Little River 41&nbsp;- Championship

CLASS 1A-DIVISION II (Great Bend) 12 p.m. (B) -&nbsp;

Axtell&nbsp;80&nbsp;Dighton 72&nbsp;&nbsp;- 3rd Place 2 p.m. (G) - Wallace County 62&nbsp;Northern Valley 46&nbsp;- 3rd Place 4 p.m. (B) - Cunningham 60&nbsp;Lebo 55&nbsp;- Championship 6:15 p.m. (G) - Hanover 50 Lebo 35&nbsp;- Championship

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709668859588.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas State High School Activities Association" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas State High School Activities Association</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas State High School Activities Association basketball season wrapped up for the 2023-24 season across the Sunflower State. Congratulations to all of the student-athletes, coaches, managers, training staff and others for another successful season.2023-24 KSHSAA Girls State Championship Teams 6A: Shawnee Mission South (24-1) 5A: Topeka Seaman (23-2) 4A: Bishop Miege (22-3) 3A: Silver Lake (26-0) 2A: Wichita Independent (22-3) 1A-I: Frankfort (23-3) 1A-II: Hanover (23-4)2023-24 KSHSAA Boys State Championship Teams 6A: Shawnee Mission NW (25-0) 5A: Kapaun Mt. Carmel (22-3) 4A: McPherson (25-0) 3A: Wellsville (23-3) 2A: Moundridge (23-3) 1A-I: South Gray (24-2) 1A-II: Cunningham (22-3)Results from Saturday games belowCLASS 6A (Wichita) 12 p.m. (G) - Blue Valley North 72 Derby 56&nbsp;- 3rd Place 2 p.m. (B) - Mill Valley 73 Wichita Northwest 58&nbsp;- 3rd Place 4 p.m. (G) - Shawnee Mission South 47 Washburn Rural 37&nbsp;- Championship 6:15 p.m. (B) - Shawnee Mission NW 47 Wichita Heights 39&nbsp;- ChampionshipCLASS 5A (Emporia) 12 p.m. (B) - Topeka Highland Park 66&nbsp;Maize South 55&nbsp; - 3rd Place 2 p.m. (G) - Andover 66&nbsp;Emporia 49&nbsp;- 3rd Place 4 p.m. (B) -&nbsp;

Kapaun Mt. Carmel&nbsp;62&nbsp;KC Piper 56 - Championship 6:15 p.m. (G) - Topeka Seaman 54 Maize South 41&nbsp;- ChampionshipCLASS 4A (Salina) 12 p.m. (G) - McPherson 57 Fort Scott 50&nbsp;- 3rd Place 2 p.m. (B) -&nbsp;

Atchison&nbsp;61&nbsp;Baldwin 50&nbsp;- 3rd Place 4 p.m. (G) -&nbsp;

Bishop Miege&nbsp;75&nbsp;Wellington&nbsp;62&nbsp;- Championship 6:15 p.m. (B) - McPherson 65 Hugoton 59 (OT) - ChampionshipCLASS 3A (Hutchinson) 12 p.m. (B) - Beloit 51 Southeast of Saline 37&nbsp;- 3rd Place 2 p.m. (G) - Topeka Hayden 50 Goodland 39 - 3rd Place 4 p.m. (B) - Wellsville 68 Goodland 58&nbsp;- Championship 6:15 p.m. (G) - Silver Lake 66&nbsp;Hesston 61 - ChampionshipCLASS 2A (Dodge City) 12 p.m. (G) -&nbsp;

St. Mary's Colgan&nbsp;58&nbsp;Valley Heights 47&nbsp;- 3rd Place 2 p.m. (B) - Salina Sacred Heart 58 Sterling 51&nbsp;- 3rd Place 4 p.m. (G) -&nbsp;

Wichita Independent&nbsp;58&nbsp;Riverside 39&nbsp;&nbsp;- Championship 6:15 p.m. (B) -&nbsp;

Moundridge&nbsp;58&nbsp;Lyndon 44&nbsp;- ChampionshipCLASS 1A-DIVISION I (Colby) 12 p.m. (B) - Olpe 46 Quinter 32&nbsp;- 3rd Place 2 p.m. (G) - Centralia 58 South Gray 52&nbsp;- 3rd Place 4 p.m. (B) - South Gray&nbsp;76&nbsp;Bishop Seabury Academy 63 - Championship 6:15 p.m. (G) -&nbsp;

Frankfort&nbsp;47&nbsp;Little River 41&nbsp;- ChampionshipCLASS 1A-DIVISION II (Great Bend) 12 p.m. (B) -&nbsp;

Axtell&nbsp;80&nbsp;Dighton 72&nbsp;&nbsp;- 3rd Place 2 p.m. (G) - Wallace County 62&nbsp;Northern Valley 46&nbsp;- 3rd Place 4 p.m. (B) - Cunningham 60&nbsp;Lebo 55&nbsp;- Championship 6:15 p.m. (G) - Hanover 50 Lebo 35&nbsp;- Championship

🏀 McPherson and Moundridge boys highlight area state championship teams

The Kansas State High School Activities Association basketball season comes to a close today for the 2023-24 season. Seven sites across the Sunflower State will crown state champions in girls and boys action throughout the day. Each site will also have Third Place games that will be played, as well.&nbsp;

CLASS 6A (Wichita) 12 p.m. (G) - Blue Valley North vs. Derby - 3rd Place 2 p.m. (B) - Mill Valley vs. Wichita Northwest- 3rd Place 4 p.m. (G) - Shawnee Mission South vs. Washburn Rural - Championship 6:15 p.m. (B) - Shawnee Mission NW vs. Wichita Heights - Championship

CLASS 5A (Emporia) 12 p.m. (B) - Maize South vs. Topeka Highland Park - 3rd Place 2 p.m. (G) - Andover vs. Emporia - 3rd Place 4 p.m. (B) - KC Piper vs. Kapaun Mt. Carmel - Championship 6:15 p.m. (G) - Topeka Seaman vs. Maize South - Championship

CLASS 4A (Salina) 12 p.m. (G) - McPherson vs. Fort Scott - 3rd Place 2 p.m. (B) - Baldwin vs. Atchison - 3rd Place 4 p.m. (G) - Wellington vs. Bishop Miege - Championship 6:15 p.m. (B) - McPherson vs. Hugoton - Championship

CLASS 3A (Hutchinson) 12 p.m. (B) - Beloit vs. Southeast of Saline - 3rd Place 2 p.m. (G) - Topeka Hayden vs. Goodland - 3rd Place 4 p.m. (B) - Wellsville vs. Goodland - Championship 6:15 p.m. (G) - Silver Lake vs. Hesston - Championship

CLASS 2A (Dodge City) 12 p.m. (G) - Valley Heights vs. St. Mary's Colgan - 3rd Place 2 p.m. (B) - Salina Sacred Heart vs. Sterling - 3rd Place 4 p.m. (G) - Riverside vs. Wichita Independent - Championship 6:15 p.m. (B) - Lyndon vs. Moundridge - Championship

CLASS 1A-DIVISION I (Colby) 12 p.m. (B) - Olpe vs. Quinter - 3rd Place 2 p.m. (G) - Centralia vs. South Gray - 3rd Place 4 p.m. (B) - South Gray vs. Bishop Seabury Academy - Championship 6:15 p.m. (G) - Little River vs. Frankfort - Championship

CLASS 1A-DIVISION II (Great Bend) 12 p.m. (B) - Dighton vs. Axtell - 3rd Place 2 p.m. (G) - Northern Valley vs. Wallace County - 3rd Place 4 p.m. (B) - Cunningham vs. Lebo - Championship 6:15 p.m. (G) - Hanover vs. Lebo - Championship

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709668859588.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas State High School Activities Association" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas State High School Activities Association</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas State High School Activities Association basketball season comes to a close today for the 2023-24 season. Seven sites across the Sunflower State will crown state champions in girls and boys action throughout the day. Each site will also have Third Place games that will be played, as well.&nbsp;CLASS 6A (Wichita) 12 p.m. (G) - Blue Valley North vs. Derby - 3rd Place 2 p.m. (B) - Mill Valley vs. Wichita Northwest- 3rd Place 4 p.m. (G) - Shawnee Mission South vs. Washburn Rural - Championship 6:15 p.m. (B) - Shawnee Mission NW vs. Wichita Heights - ChampionshipCLASS 5A (Emporia) 12 p.m. (B) - Maize South vs. Topeka Highland Park - 3rd Place 2 p.m. (G) - Andover vs. Emporia - 3rd Place 4 p.m. (B) - KC Piper vs. Kapaun Mt. Carmel - Championship 6:15 p.m. (G) - Topeka Seaman vs. Maize South - ChampionshipCLASS 4A (Salina) 12 p.m. (G) - McPherson vs. Fort Scott - 3rd Place 2 p.m. (B) - Baldwin vs. Atchison - 3rd Place 4 p.m. (G) - Wellington vs. Bishop Miege - Championship 6:15 p.m. (B) - McPherson vs. Hugoton - ChampionshipCLASS 3A (Hutchinson) 12 p.m. (B) - Beloit vs. Southeast of Saline - 3rd Place 2 p.m. (G) - Topeka Hayden vs. Goodland - 3rd Place 4 p.m. (B) - Wellsville vs. Goodland - Championship 6:15 p.m. (G) - Silver Lake vs. Hesston - ChampionshipCLASS 2A (Dodge City) 12 p.m. (G) - Valley Heights vs. St. Mary's Colgan - 3rd Place 2 p.m. (B) - Salina Sacred Heart vs. Sterling - 3rd Place 4 p.m. (G) - Riverside vs. Wichita Independent - Championship 6:15 p.m. (B) - Lyndon vs. Moundridge - ChampionshipCLASS 1A-DIVISION I (Colby) 12 p.m. (B) - Olpe vs. Quinter - 3rd Place 2 p.m. (G) - Centralia vs. South Gray - 3rd Place 4 p.m. (B) - South Gray vs. Bishop Seabury Academy - Championship 6:15 p.m. (G) - Little River vs. Frankfort - ChampionshipCLASS 1A-DIVISION II (Great Bend) 12 p.m. (B) - Dighton vs. Axtell - 3rd Place 2 p.m. (G) - Northern Valley vs. Wallace County - 3rd Place 4 p.m. (B) - Cunningham vs. Lebo - Championship 6:15 p.m. (G) - Hanover vs. Lebo - Championship

🏀 KSHSAA state championship Saturday schedule

KANSAS CITY, Mo. –&nbsp;The Kansas Jayhawks flexed their muscles in the second half Friday night at T-Mobile Center, beating BYU 77-53 to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship.

Leading by two at halftime, Kansas outscored BYU by 22 (42-20) in the second half and saw all five starters finish the game in double figures for the first time this season.

Senior Zakiyah Franklin led the way with 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting to notch her second 20-point game of the season against the Cougars. Wyvette Mayberry finished with 14, while S’Mya Nichols had 13. Taiyanna Jackson scored 12 points and Holly Kersgieter added 11 in the win.

The win snaps a four-game losing streak for the Jayhawks in the Big 12 Championship and is KU’s first win at the event since 2019. The 24-point margin of victory by Kansas is its second-largest ever in a Big 12 Championship game.

The seventh-seeded Jayhawks improved to 19-11 on the season, while BYU fell to 16-16. Kansas will look to advance to the semifinals on Friday with a 5:30 p.m., matchup against second-seeded Texas.

“I thought our guys really adjusted well defensively late in the second quarter and then on into the second half in terms of just doing a better job of guarding the ball, protecting the paint,” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said postgame. “I thought BYU was terrific early in the game in attacking the paint and forcing us into a lot of situations where we had to rotate. Once we shored that up, I was proud of how we defended.”

Both teams started the game with respective runs. The Jayhawks opened the game on a 7-0 stretch, thanks to a 3-pointer from Mayberry and a pair of buckets from Jackson. BYU answered right back with an 8-0 run in just 52 seconds to grab a one-point lead. Kansas ended the run with a Jackson bucket and eventually took an 11-10 lead into the first media timeout.

The Cougars opened up a 19-15 lead in the final minute of the first quarter after Amari Whiting converted one of two free throws. But Franklin answered back with a jumper to cut the lead to two at 19-17, which held up to be the score at the end of the opening frame. Both teams shot better than 50 percent from the floor in the first with Kansas notching six assists on its first seven baskets of the game.

The start of the second quarter copied the first quarter with the game staying close and neither team leading by more than six. The Cougars took a 23-17 lead less than two minutes into the game, but baskets from Franklin and Kersgieter cut the lead back to two. After a BYU 3-pointer, Nichols knocked down a pair of free throws to get it back to three. The two teams then exchanged baskets, with Franklin scoring on a layup to give her eight early points and cut the lead to 28-25 at the second quarter media timeout.

With just more than three minutes remaining in the half, BYU hit its fifth 3-pointer to give the Cougars a 31-25 lead. But the Jayhawks came alive after that in a big way. Kansas went on a 10-0 run. Nichols started it with a free throw before Franklin scored four straight points to make it 31-30, BYU. Kansas then took a lead at 32-31, its first lead since it was 14-13 in the first quarter. The Jayhawks stretched the lead to three on another Franklin bucket, which gave her 14 in the first half.

After a Kersgieter free throw, BYU broke the 10-0 run with a bucket in the final seconds of the half to make it 35-33, Kansas, at the break.

Following the strong finish to the first half, Kansas kept its foot on the gas to start the second half. The Jayhawks quickly stretched their lead to six thanks to back-to-back buckets from Franklin and Jackson. Following a BYU basket, Kersgieter nailed a 3-pointer to make it a seven-point lead, and then a little more than a minute later, Jackson made it an eight-point lead with a layup from Jackson.

The lead stretched to 10 at the 3:52 mark of the third quarter when Nichols connected on a jumper to make it 48-38. She was fouled on the play and hit the free throw, before Kersgieter hit another 3-pointer to make it 52-38 and put Kansas on a 27-7 run. BYU ended the run and cut the lead to 11 at the end of the third quarter at 56-45. The Jayhawks shot 8-for-12 from the floor in the third quarter with Kersgieter scoring eight in the frame.

Kansas stayed hot in the fourth quarter, outscoring BYU 21-8 and shooting 57 percent from the floor and a perfect 2-for-2 from deep to secure the second-round victory.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710000721903.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Kansas AthleticsKANSAS CITY, Mo. –&nbsp;The Kansas Jayhawks flexed their muscles in the second half Friday night at T-Mobile Center, beating BYU 77-53 to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship.Leading by two at halftime, Kansas outscored BYU by 22 (42-20) in the second half and saw all five starters finish the game in double figures for the first time this season.Senior Zakiyah Franklin led the way with 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting to notch her second 20-point game of the season against the Cougars. Wyvette Mayberry finished with 14, while S’Mya Nichols had 13. Taiyanna Jackson scored 12 points and Holly Kersgieter added 11 in the win.The win snaps a four-game losing streak for the Jayhawks in the Big 12 Championship and is KU’s first win at the event since 2019. The 24-point margin of victory by Kansas is its second-largest ever in a Big 12 Championship game.The seventh-seeded Jayhawks improved to 19-11 on the season, while BYU fell to 16-16. Kansas will look to advance to the semifinals on Friday with a 5:30 p.m., matchup against second-seeded Texas.“I thought our guys really adjusted well defensively late in the second quarter and then on into the second half in terms of just doing a better job of guarding the ball, protecting the paint,” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said postgame. “I thought BYU was terrific early in the game in attacking the paint and forcing us into a lot of situations where we had to rotate. Once we shored that up, I was proud of how we defended.”Both teams started the game with respective runs. The Jayhawks opened the game on a 7-0 stretch, thanks to a 3-pointer from Mayberry and a pair of buckets from Jackson. BYU answered right back with an 8-0 run in just 52 seconds to grab a one-point lead. Kansas ended the run with a Jackson bucket and eventually took an 11-10 lead into the first media timeout.The Cougars opened up a 19-15 lead in the final minute of the first quarter after Amari Whiting converted one of two free throws. But Franklin answered back with a jumper to cut the lead to two at 19-17, which held up to be the score at the end of the opening frame. Both teams shot better than 50 percent from the floor in the first with Kansas notching six assists on its first seven baskets of the game.The start of the second quarter copied the first quarter with the game staying close and neither team leading by more than six. The Cougars took a 23-17 lead less than two minutes into the game, but baskets from Franklin and Kersgieter cut the lead back to two. After a BYU 3-pointer, Nichols knocked down a pair of free throws to get it back to three. The two teams then exchanged baskets, with Franklin scoring on a layup to give her eight early points and cut the lead to 28-25 at the second quarter media timeout.With just more than three minutes remaining in the half, BYU hit its fifth 3-pointer to give the Cougars a 31-25 lead. But the Jayhawks came alive after that in a big way. Kansas went on a 10-0 run. Nichols started it with a free throw before Franklin scored four straight points to make it 31-30, BYU. Kansas then took a lead at 32-31, its first lead since it was 14-13 in the first quarter. The Jayhawks stretched the lead to three on another Franklin bucket, which gave her 14 in the first half.After a Kersgieter free throw, BYU broke the 10-0 run with a bucket in the final seconds of the half to make it 35-33, Kansas, at the break.Following the strong finish to the first half, Kansas kept its foot on the gas to start the second half. The Jayhawks quickly stretched their lead to six thanks to back-to-back buckets from Franklin and Jackson. Following a BYU basket, Kersgieter nailed a 3-pointer to make it a seven-point lead, and then a little more than a minute later, Jackson made it an eight-point lead with a layup from Jackson.The lead stretched to 10 at the 3:52 mark of the third quarter when Nichols connected on a jumper to make it 48-38. She was fouled on the play and hit the free throw, before Kersgieter hit another 3-pointer to make it 52-38 and put Kansas on a 27-7 run. BYU ended the run and cut the lead to 11 at the end of the third quarter at 56-45. The Jayhawks shot 8-for-12 from the floor in the third quarter with Kersgieter scoring eight in the frame.Kansas stayed hot in the fourth quarter, outscoring BYU 21-8 and shooting 57 percent from the floor and a perfect 2-for-2 from deep to secure the second-round victory.

🏀 WBB: KU pulls away from BYU, advances in Big 12 Tournament

Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics&nbsp;

WICHITA, Kan --&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/caden-favors/7628">Caden Favors</a>&nbsp;allowed just two hits over seven scoreless innings while matching his career high with 10 strikeouts as Wichita State bested Long Beach State 4-1 on Friday evening at Eck Stadium.

Favors (3-0) did not allow a baserunner to reach third base for a second consecutive outing, limiting the Dirtbags&nbsp;(9-2-1) to just five runners in total over his seven sparkling frames. The southpaw had to wiggle out of two jams, pitching around a walk and a single with one out in the second thanks to consecutive strikeouts, and then again stranding a walk and a single in the fifth by retiring the next three. Dating back to his start&nbsp;against Virginia on February 23, Favors has not allowed a run over his last 17.0 innings and has not allowed an earned run in his last 19.0 frames. He lowered his season ERA to 1.59.

Wichita State (8-4) found just enough offense to support Favors in the middle innings. After Long Beach State starter Myles Patton (1-1) flummoxed the Shockers through the first four innings, WSU touched up the left-hander for a pair of runs in the fifth to break the scoreless deadlock.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/darnell-parker-jr-/7595">Darnell Parker Jr.</a>&nbsp;rifled an RBI double to score&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/jordan-rogers/7538">Jordan Rogers</a>, who had led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a passed ball. One batter later,&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/mauricio-millan/7532">Mauricio Millan</a>&nbsp;plated Parker Jr. with an RBI single through a drawn-in infield, doubling the advantage to 2-0.

The Shockers added to their cushion with two more runs in the sixth to make it 4-0.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/ryan-callahan/7594">Ryan Callahan</a>&nbsp;led off the inning with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored when Rogers' infield single was thrown away by Patton. Another Long Beach State error on a pickoff attempt moved Rogers to third, and he would score on&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/camden-johnson/7605">Camden Johnson's</a>&nbsp;infield single to cap the rally.

<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/caleb-anderson/8973">Caleb Anderson</a>&nbsp;worked a 1-2-3 eighth before running into trouble with one out in the ninth, allowing three consecutive baserunners, the last of which produced a run via an RBI single from Connor Charpiot. But Anderson bounced back to strike out Adrian Lopez and got Alex Champagne to bounce back to the mound to close out the victory.

The Shockers out-hit the Dirtbags 8-4 and committed two errors to Long Beach State's four. Rogers and Parker Jr. both recorded two-hit games to pace the Shockers attack.

Wichita State and Long Beach State will continue the series on Saturday afternoon. First pitch from Eck Stadium is scheduled for 2:00 pm.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710000395165.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Wichita State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Wichita State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics&nbsp;WICHITA, Kan --&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/caden-favors/7628">Caden Favors</a>&nbsp;allowed just two hits over seven scoreless innings while matching his career high with 10 strikeouts as Wichita State bested Long Beach State 4-1 on Friday evening at Eck Stadium.Favors (3-0) did not allow a baserunner to reach third base for a second consecutive outing, limiting the Dirtbags&nbsp;(9-2-1) to just five runners in total over his seven sparkling frames. The southpaw had to wiggle out of two jams, pitching around a walk and a single with one out in the second thanks to consecutive strikeouts, and then again stranding a walk and a single in the fifth by retiring the next three. Dating back to his start&nbsp;against Virginia on February 23, Favors has not allowed a run over his last 17.0 innings and has not allowed an earned run in his last 19.0 frames. He lowered his season ERA to 1.59.Wichita State (8-4) found just enough offense to support Favors in the middle innings. After Long Beach State starter Myles Patton (1-1) flummoxed the Shockers through the first four innings, WSU touched up the left-hander for a pair of runs in the fifth to break the scoreless deadlock.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/darnell-parker-jr-/7595">Darnell Parker Jr.</a>&nbsp;rifled an RBI double to score&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/jordan-rogers/7538">Jordan Rogers</a>, who had led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a passed ball. One batter later,&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/mauricio-millan/7532">Mauricio Millan</a>&nbsp;plated Parker Jr. with an RBI single through a drawn-in infield, doubling the advantage to 2-0.The Shockers added to their cushion with two more runs in the sixth to make it 4-0.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/ryan-callahan/7594">Ryan Callahan</a>&nbsp;led off the inning with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored when Rogers' infield single was thrown away by Patton. Another Long Beach State error on a pickoff attempt moved Rogers to third, and he would score on&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/camden-johnson/7605">Camden Johnson's</a>&nbsp;infield single to cap the rally.<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/baseball/roster/caleb-anderson/8973">Caleb Anderson</a>&nbsp;worked a 1-2-3 eighth before running into trouble with one out in the ninth, allowing three consecutive baserunners, the last of which produced a run via an RBI single from Connor Charpiot. But Anderson bounced back to strike out Adrian Lopez and got Alex Champagne to bounce back to the mound to close out the victory.The Shockers out-hit the Dirtbags 8-4 and committed two errors to Long Beach State's four. Rogers and Parker Jr. both recorded two-hit games to pace the Shockers attack.Wichita State and Long Beach State will continue the series on Saturday afternoon. First pitch from Eck Stadium is scheduled for 2:00 pm.&nbsp;&nbsp;

⚾ Favors shines in series opening win over Long Beach State

NEW ORLEANS –&nbsp;Second half issues popped up again in Wichita State's 85-75 loss at Tulane Friday night to end the regular season.

For next week's American Athletic Conference Championship, Wichita State (13-18, 5-13) will now have to play in the first round as either the No. 12 or No. 13 seed. A win would have given them a first round bye.

The Shockers led by two at halftime only to be outscored by 12 in the final 20 minutes, 43-31. Wichita State's task coming into the game was keeping Tulane off the free throw line. The Green Wave rank third nationally in free throws made and attempts per game. Entering the game, Tulane was 0-12 when they attempted fewer than 28 free throws. Tulane finished the game 23-for-32.Tulane also snapped a seven-game losing streak overall in the process. They shot 51 percent from the field.

Wichita State was 9-for-24 from beyond the arc, but shot 40 percent overall and just 12-of-20 from the free throw line. After dominating the glass in the first half, Wichita State was minus-6 on the glass after halftime.

<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/colby-rogers/7582">Colby Rogers</a>&nbsp;recorded his third straight game with 20-plus points, scoring a career-high tying 29 on 6-of-13 from three-point range.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/quincy-ballard/7586">Quincy Ballard</a>&nbsp;recorded his third double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/harlond-beverly/7587">Harlond Beverly</a>&nbsp;added 13 points and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/dalen-ridgnal/8757">Dalen Ridgnal</a>&nbsp;also pulled down 13 rebounds. He missed a double-double by two points.

A trio of alley-oop connections had the Shocker offense off and running early, building a 15-8 lead just 5:00 minutes into the game. Then in the span of 2:30, that lead was gone behind a Tulane 11-0 run.

After missing his first three shots, Rogers started to heat up at the right time. He scored all of his team-high 17 first half points in the final 8:37. At one point he scored 13 straight for Wichita State to put the Shockers up 42-33.A half of runs finished with another Tulane spurt to make it 44-42 at the half. The Green Wave closed on a 9-2 run over the final 2:16.

Rogers (17) and Ballard (11) combined for 28 of Wichita State's 44 points in the first 20 minutes. Ballard nearly had a first half double-double with 11 and nine rebounds.

Despite Tulane out-shooting Wichita State 54 percent to 41 percent from the field, the Shockers attempted 15 more shots thanks to 12 offensive rebounds. Wichita State scored 12 points off those second and sometimes third opportunities. In total, the Shockers were plus-12 on the glass in the first half.

The first 5:00 minutes of the second half was dominated by Tulane. The Green Wave opened on a 14-2 run to take a 10-point lead. Back-to-back scores at the rim from Beverly briefly cut it to 57-50, but Tulane immediately came back with another 8-0 run to go up 65-50.

Wichita State would slowly but surely start to chip away at the deficit, pulling within six with 6:33 to go. The Shockers never got any closer than that as Tulane pushed it back to double digits with less than 2:00 minutes remaining.

Up Next Wichita State heads to Fort Worth for the 2024 American Athletic Conference Championship, March 13-17.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710000184810.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Wichita State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Wichita State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics&nbsp;NEW ORLEANS –&nbsp;Second half issues popped up again in Wichita State's 85-75 loss at Tulane Friday night to end the regular season.For next week's American Athletic Conference Championship, Wichita State (13-18, 5-13) will now have to play in the first round as either the No. 12 or No. 13 seed. A win would have given them a first round bye.The Shockers led by two at halftime only to be outscored by 12 in the final 20 minutes, 43-31. Wichita State's task coming into the game was keeping Tulane off the free throw line. The Green Wave rank third nationally in free throws made and attempts per game. Entering the game, Tulane was 0-12 when they attempted fewer than 28 free throws. Tulane finished the game 23-for-32.Tulane also snapped a seven-game losing streak overall in the process. They shot 51 percent from the field.Wichita State was 9-for-24 from beyond the arc, but shot 40 percent overall and just 12-of-20 from the free throw line. After dominating the glass in the first half, Wichita State was minus-6 on the glass after halftime.<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/colby-rogers/7582">Colby Rogers</a>&nbsp;recorded his third straight game with 20-plus points, scoring a career-high tying 29 on 6-of-13 from three-point range.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/quincy-ballard/7586">Quincy Ballard</a>&nbsp;recorded his third double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds.&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/harlond-beverly/7587">Harlond Beverly</a>&nbsp;added 13 points and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/dalen-ridgnal/8757">Dalen Ridgnal</a>&nbsp;also pulled down 13 rebounds. He missed a double-double by two points.A trio of alley-oop connections had the Shocker offense off and running early, building a 15-8 lead just 5:00 minutes into the game. Then in the span of 2:30, that lead was gone behind a Tulane 11-0 run.After missing his first three shots, Rogers started to heat up at the right time. He scored all of his team-high 17 first half points in the final 8:37. At one point he scored 13 straight for Wichita State to put the Shockers up 42-33.A half of runs finished with another Tulane spurt to make it 44-42 at the half. The Green Wave closed on a 9-2 run over the final 2:16.Rogers (17) and Ballard (11) combined for 28 of Wichita State's 44 points in the first 20 minutes. Ballard nearly had a first half double-double with 11 and nine rebounds.Despite Tulane out-shooting Wichita State 54 percent to 41 percent from the field, the Shockers attempted 15 more shots thanks to 12 offensive rebounds. Wichita State scored 12 points off those second and sometimes third opportunities. In total, the Shockers were plus-12 on the glass in the first half.The first 5:00 minutes of the second half was dominated by Tulane. The Green Wave opened on a 14-2 run to take a 10-point lead. Back-to-back scores at the rim from Beverly briefly cut it to 57-50, but Tulane immediately came back with another 8-0 run to go up 65-50.Wichita State would slowly but surely start to chip away at the deficit, pulling within six with 6:33 to go. The Shockers never got any closer than that as Tulane pushed it back to double digits with less than 2:00 minutes remaining.Up Next Wichita State heads to Fort Worth for the 2024 American Athletic Conference Championship, March 13-17.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏀 MBB: Shockers fall at Tulane in regular season finale

Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics&nbsp;

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– K-State's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/jacob-frost/11523">Jacob Frost</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/jackson-wentworth/11477">Jackson Wentworth</a>&nbsp;teamed up for the ninth no-hitter in the program's 124-year history, and first combined no-hitter since 1991, as the Wildcats blanked Cincinnati 4-0 in Friday's Big 12 opener at Tointon Family Stadium.

"It was a tough night to play baseball, but our guys were focused," K-State head baseball coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/pete-hughes/2461">Pete Hughes</a>&nbsp;said. "They created an atmosphere in the stadium that had none tonight because of the conditions and that's difficult to do sometimes if you have an immature team. So I'm proud of our team, our approach, the energy level, and the focus in game one of Big 12 play."

With the performance, Frost and Wentworth turned in just the second combined no-hitter in program history, joining David Christensen and Greg McNamara (1991 vs. Friends). With nine no-hitters in program history, only two have come in nine-inning contests.

Frost and Wentworth's no-hitter is also the 20th&nbsp;in Big 12 Conference history, and eighth combined. It is also the first no-hitter for K-State in Big 12 play. &nbsp;

"Every game is predicated off a good start and we got a phenomenal start, from a talented kid who stuck with the game when it doesn't always reward you. He was rewarded tonight.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/jacob-frost/11523">Jacob Frost</a>, I thought he was awesome against a veteran and gritty Cincinnati team," said Hughes.

Frost (2-0) was lights out in his fourth start of the season, retiring 21 of the 25 batters he faced in 118 pitches. The St. Louis, Mo., native logged a season-high seven innings, surrendering just two walks with four strikeouts.

After the Bearcats threatened the shutout with runners in scoring position in the second, the junior lefty found his rhythm and retired 17 straight to pick up his second consecutive win.

Wentworth received the call from the pen in the eighth and immediately let his presence be known, as the redshirt-sophomore punched out five straight before forcing a fly out to close out the game. &nbsp;"Wentworth came in, took things over and finished a phenomenal day for our pitching staff."

"A special day for the program and a very good start for the Big 12 season. Time to refocus tomorrow and try to win a series."

Behind the no-hitter, K-State improved to 8-5 overall with the conference opening win, while Cincinnati dropped to 8-6 in its first Big 12 outing.

Offensively, seven different Wildcats produced a hit, led by two-day hits from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/brady-day/11461">Brady Day</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/david-bishop/11518">David Bishop</a>. Day drove in a pair of RBIs with his eighth career home run, marking his fourth multi-RBI performance in the last six games.

Right-hander Seth Logue (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing three earned runs on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts. 

ON DECK Game two against the Bearcats is slated for 5 p.m. Saturday at Tointon Family Stadium. The entire Big 12 series can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the ESPN app while radio coverage is available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). A free live streaming audio available for all games at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Live=3268&amp;type=Archive">KStateSports.com/watch</a>&nbsp;and on the K-State Sports app.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710000088702.png" alt="Photo by Austin Van Meter/K-State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Austin Van Meter/K-State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics&nbsp; MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– K-State's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/jacob-frost/11523">Jacob Frost</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/jackson-wentworth/11477">Jackson Wentworth</a>&nbsp;teamed up for the ninth no-hitter in the program's 124-year history, and first combined no-hitter since 1991, as the Wildcats blanked Cincinnati 4-0 in Friday's Big 12 opener at Tointon Family Stadium."It was a tough night to play baseball, but our guys were focused," K-State head baseball coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/pete-hughes/2461">Pete Hughes</a>&nbsp;said. "They created an atmosphere in the stadium that had none tonight because of the conditions and that's difficult to do sometimes if you have an immature team. So I'm proud of our team, our approach, the energy level, and the focus in game one of Big 12 play."With the performance, Frost and Wentworth turned in just the second combined no-hitter in program history, joining David Christensen and Greg McNamara (1991 vs. Friends). With nine no-hitters in program history, only two have come in nine-inning contests.Frost and Wentworth's no-hitter is also the 20th&nbsp;in Big 12 Conference history, and eighth combined. It is also the first no-hitter for K-State in Big 12 play. &nbsp;"Every game is predicated off a good start and we got a phenomenal start, from a talented kid who stuck with the game when it doesn't always reward you. He was rewarded tonight.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/jacob-frost/11523">Jacob Frost</a>, I thought he was awesome against a veteran and gritty Cincinnati team," said Hughes.Frost (2-0) was lights out in his fourth start of the season, retiring 21 of the 25 batters he faced in 118 pitches. The St. Louis, Mo., native logged a season-high seven innings, surrendering just two walks with four strikeouts.After the Bearcats threatened the shutout with runners in scoring position in the second, the junior lefty found his rhythm and retired 17 straight to pick up his second consecutive win.Wentworth received the call from the pen in the eighth and immediately let his presence be known, as the redshirt-sophomore punched out five straight before forcing a fly out to close out the game. &nbsp;"Wentworth came in, took things over and finished a phenomenal day for our pitching staff.""A special day for the program and a very good start for the Big 12 season. Time to refocus tomorrow and try to win a series."Behind the no-hitter, K-State improved to 8-5 overall with the conference opening win, while Cincinnati dropped to 8-6 in its first Big 12 outing.Offensively, seven different Wildcats produced a hit, led by two-day hits from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/brady-day/11461">Brady Day</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/david-bishop/11518">David Bishop</a>. Day drove in a pair of RBIs with his eighth career home run, marking his fourth multi-RBI performance in the last six games.Right-hander Seth Logue (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing three earned runs on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts. ON DECK Game two against the Bearcats is slated for 5 p.m. Saturday at Tointon Family Stadium. The entire Big 12 series can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the ESPN app while radio coverage is available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). A free live streaming audio available for all games at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Live=3268&amp;type=Archive">KStateSports.com/watch</a>&nbsp;and on the K-State Sports app.&nbsp;&nbsp;

⚾ K-State picks up first combined no-hitter since 1991 in win over Cincinnati 

LAWRENCE, Kan. –&nbsp;Kansas started Big 12 play with a bang as the Jayhawks took down No. 3 TCU by a score of 3-1 on Friday night at Hoglund Ballpark. The Kansas pitching staff retired the final eight TCU batters that came to the plate via strikeout to put an exclamation point on the victory.

The win is the first over a top five ranked opponent since April 3, 2022, against No. 4 Texas Tech. Kansas held TCU to only four hits and recorded a season-high 14 strikeouts. The Jayhawks handed the Horned Frogs – who entered at 13-0 – their first loss of the season.

Kansas starter Reese Dutton dazzled, tossing seven innings, allowing only one run, while striking out a season-high eight batters after allowing his only run in the first. He threw 94 pitches with 70 strikes in a brilliant Friday night performance. Chase Diggins hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the fifth inning to give Kansas a lead that it would hold for the rest of the game.

HOW IT HAPPENED • TCU (13-1, 0-1 Big 12) picked up an early run in the first inning. After a leadoff single and a walk, a flyout moved up the runners and an RBI groundout by Logan Maxwell made the score 1-0. • Dutton and TCU starting pitcher Payton Tolle each threw up zeros for the next three innings. • In the bottom of the fifth, Kansas took the lead and never looked back. Collier Cranford drew a leadoff walk and Diggins followed with a two-run moon shot to left field. The homer gave KU a 2-1 advantage. • Dutton continued to get better as the game went on. He punched out two Horned Frogs in both the sixth and seventh innings as his night came to an end. • The Jayhawks added one more run in the bottom of the seventh inning after Diggins started the frame with a leadoff walk. After two wild pitches moved Diggins to third, Kodey Shojinaga brought him home on an RBI groundout. • Tegan Cain came on for Dutton in the eighth inning and struck out the side in order.• Hunter Cranton did the same in the ninth with three punchouts to earn his first save of the season.

PITCHERS OF RECORD Win: Reese Dutton (3-1) Final line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 SO Loss: Payton Tolle (1-1) Final line: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 SO Save: Hunter Cranton (1) Final line: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO

PLAYER OF THE GAME Reese Dutton: The senior transfer from USC Upstate tossed seven innings against the previously undefeated Horned Frogs. After allowing a run in the first inning, Dutton shutout TCU the rest of the way. The Kenosha, Wisconsin native struck out the side in the fourth inning and ended the sixth and seventh innings with emphatic strikeouts.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709999691002.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Kansas AthleticsLAWRENCE, Kan. –&nbsp;Kansas started Big 12 play with a bang as the Jayhawks took down No. 3 TCU by a score of 3-1 on Friday night at Hoglund Ballpark. The Kansas pitching staff retired the final eight TCU batters that came to the plate via strikeout to put an exclamation point on the victory.The win is the first over a top five ranked opponent since April 3, 2022, against No. 4 Texas Tech. Kansas held TCU to only four hits and recorded a season-high 14 strikeouts. The Jayhawks handed the Horned Frogs – who entered at 13-0 – their first loss of the season.Kansas starter Reese Dutton dazzled, tossing seven innings, allowing only one run, while striking out a season-high eight batters after allowing his only run in the first. He threw 94 pitches with 70 strikes in a brilliant Friday night performance. Chase Diggins hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the fifth inning to give Kansas a lead that it would hold for the rest of the game.HOW IT HAPPENED • TCU (13-1, 0-1 Big 12) picked up an early run in the first inning. After a leadoff single and a walk, a flyout moved up the runners and an RBI groundout by Logan Maxwell made the score 1-0. • Dutton and TCU starting pitcher Payton Tolle each threw up zeros for the next three innings. • In the bottom of the fifth, Kansas took the lead and never looked back. Collier Cranford drew a leadoff walk and Diggins followed with a two-run moon shot to left field. The homer gave KU a 2-1 advantage. • Dutton continued to get better as the game went on. He punched out two Horned Frogs in both the sixth and seventh innings as his night came to an end. • The Jayhawks added one more run in the bottom of the seventh inning after Diggins started the frame with a leadoff walk. After two wild pitches moved Diggins to third, Kodey Shojinaga brought him home on an RBI groundout. • Tegan Cain came on for Dutton in the eighth inning and struck out the side in order.• Hunter Cranton did the same in the ninth with three punchouts to earn his first save of the season.PITCHERS OF RECORD Win: Reese Dutton (3-1) Final line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 SO Loss: Payton Tolle (1-1) Final line: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 SO Save: Hunter Cranton (1) Final line: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SOPLAYER OF THE GAME Reese Dutton: The senior transfer from USC Upstate tossed seven innings against the previously undefeated Horned Frogs. After allowing a run in the first inning, Dutton shutout TCU the rest of the way. The Kenosha, Wisconsin native struck out the side in the fourth inning and ended the sixth and seventh innings with emphatic strikeouts.

⚾ KU knocks off No. 3 TCU in Big 12 opener

Kapaun Mount Carmel 67, Highland Park 64, OT

Wichita Independent 48, Pittsburg St Mary's-Colgan 40

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709982105157.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas State High School Activities Association." />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas State High School Activities Association.</figcaption>
 </figure>Friday's ScoresThe Associated Press<h2>BOYS PREP BASKETBALL=</h2>KSHSAA State Tournament=Class 6A=Semifinal=SM Northwest 63, Mill Valley 51Wichita Heights 74, Wichita Northwest 32Class 5A=Semifinal=KC Piper 61, Maize South 55Kapaun Mount Carmel 67, Highland Park 64, OTClass 4A=Semifinal=Hugoton 39, Atchison 38McPherson 62, Baldwin 49Class 3A=Semifinal=Goodland 55, Southeast of Saline 38Wellsville 68, Beloit 49Class 2A=Semifinal=Lyndon 63, Salina Sacred Heart 56Moundridge 56, Sterling 45Class 1A, Div. 1=Semifinal=Bishop Seabury 73, Quinter 45South Gray 68, Olpe 62Class 1A, Div. 2=Semifinal=Cunningham 61, Dighton 58Lebo 45, Axtell 38Friday's ScoresThe Associated Press<h2>GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL=</h2>KSHSAA State Tournament=Class 6A=Semifinal=SM South 65, BV North 49Washburn Rural 69, Derby 62 OTClass 5A=Semifinal=Maize South 55, Emporia 47Topeka Seaman 49, Andover 45Class 4A=Semifinal=Bishop Miege 61, Fort Scott 32Wellington 65, McPherson 56 OTClass 3A=Semifinal=Hesston 40, Goodland 31Silver Lake 64, Topeka Hayden 49Class 2A=Semifinal=Riverside 53, Valley Heights 45Wichita Independent 48, Pittsburg St Mary's-Colgan 40Class 1A, Div. 1=Semifinal=Frankfort 48, South Gray 31Little River 50, Centralia 42Class 1A, Div. 2=Semifinal=Hanover 56, Northern Valley 28Lebo 47, Wallace County 36

🏀 KSHSAA state quarterfinal results from Friday

D'Angelo Russell scores 44 points in LeBron-less Lakers' stunning 123-122 win over Bucks

LOS ANGELES (AP) — D'Angelo Russell scored 21 of his season-high 44 points in the fourth quarter and hit a go-ahead jumper with 5.9 seconds to play, and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame LeBron James' injury absence for a 123-122 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Spencer Dinwiddie blocked Damian Lillard's step-back jumper right before the buzzer to preserve a stirring win for the Lakers while James sat out to rest his sore left ankle. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists. Lillard scored eight of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, but the Bucks couldn't hang on in their second consecutive loss.

Kirk Cousins, Chris Jones, Saquon Barkley are among the star players set to test NFL free agency

Kirk Cousins will be a free agent for the first time since the Vikings gave him the first fully-guaranteed quarterback deal in the NFL. Baker Mayfield is expected to stay put in Tampa Bay. Russell Wilson has to make another move. Joe Flacco could find a new home, too. The quarterback carousel will start spinning when the NFL's free agency period opens Monday with the legal tampering period. Players can't officially sign new deals until the opening of the league's new year on Wednesday. While the quarterbacks get much of the attention, many of the best players available play other positions.

Caitlin Clark sets NCAA record for 3s in a season as No. 4 Iowa beats Penn State in Big Ten tourney

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark broke the NCAA Division I record for 3-pointers in a season by a woman or man, finishing with 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists on a poor shooting night to lead No. 4 Iowa past Penn State 95-62 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. Clark missed her first 11 3s before finally connecting in the fourth quarter. It was her 163rd 3-pointer of the season, surpassing Stephen Curry of Davidson and Darius McGhee of Liberty for the most by a D-I player. Clark finished 2 of 14 from long range and 5 of 19 overall. But Iowa still had little trouble with Penn State.

Defending Cup champs Golden Knights acquire Hertl. Hurricanes, Panthers dominate deals in the East

The defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights acquired Tomas Hertl from San Jose in what so far stands as the biggest deal made on the final day of NHL trading. Hertl joins a retooled roster after Vegas added defenseman Noah Hanifin and forward Anthony Mantha earlier in the week. The Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers were the busiest teams in the East. The Hurricanes acquired Evgeny Kuznetsov from Washington, less than a day after adding Jake Guentzel from Pittsburgh. Florida acquired Buffalo captain Kyle Okposo. Boston landed Pat Maroon. The Winnipeg Jets added forward Tyler Toffoli in a trade with New Jersey.

Tiger Woods to skip the Players Championship as the Masters nears

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods won't be at The Players Championship next week at TPC Sawgrass. The PGA Tour released the field for its premier championship and Woods was not part of it. He has not given a reason. That leaves questions whether or where the five-time Masters champion will play before he gets to Augusta National for the first major of the year. Woods has only 24 holes of competition this year. He withdrew after six holes of the second round at Riviera. He also played the Seminole Pro-Member last week. Woods has never missed the cut at the Masters as a pro.

Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert makes "money sign" at official and implies betting in NBA is a problem

CLEVELAND (AP) — Rudy Gobert's money gesture toward an official will likely draw the NBA's wrath. Minnesota's center said his reaction was worth every penny. Gobert was called for a technical foul in the closing seconds of regulation Friday night against Cleveland when he rubbed his fingers together several times, implying that referee Scott Foster might be on the take. After fouling out, Gobert made the gesture without Foster seeing him. Official Natalie Sago issued the technical on Gobert. Gobert didn't deny what he did after the game and went further in saying gambling could be having a major impact on the outcome of games. Gobert's actions and remarks will almost certainly be reviewed by the league.

LeBron James sits out Lakers' showdown with Milwaukee Bucks due to his balky ankle

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James is sitting out the Los Angeles Lakers' meeting with Milwaukee due to his injured left ankle. The 39-year-old James will miss his ninth game of the season when the Lakers host the Bucks. Los Angeles is 4-4 without him. James' ankle has bothered him all season long, and it forced him to miss each of the Lakers' games around the All-Star break. He then limped off the court in pain with about four minutes left in the Lakers' home loss to Sacramento.

Some fans at frigid Chiefs playoff game underwent amputations, hospital confirms

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri hospital has confirmed that some of the people who attended the near-record cold Kansas City Chiefs playoff game in January had to undergo amputations after suffering frostbite. Research Medical Center didn't provide exact numbers but said in a statement Friday that some of the 12 people who had to undergo amputations after the cold snap had been at the Jan. 13 game. The amputations involved mostly fingers and toes. And the hospital said more surgeries are expected over the next two to four weeks as "injuries evolve." The temperature for January's Dolphins-Chiefs wild-card playoff game was minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit, and wind gusts made for a wind chill of minus 27 degrees.

Short change with Mookie Betts already moving from second base to shortstop for Dodgers

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Mookie Betts is already switching spots in the infield for the Los Angeles Dodgers, moving to shortstop from second base. The plan had been for the six-time Gold Glove and seven-time All-Star outfielder to be the Dodgers' regular second baseman this season. Betts was instead listed at shortstop for a spring training game Friday night against the Cincinnati Reds that ended up being canceled. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts says the switch 12 days before an early season opener is permanent for now. Expected shortstop Gavin Lux has struggled this spring in the field, primarily with short-hop throws to first base. The Dodgers are moving him to second base.

Ravens agree to 4-year extension with DT Justin Madubuike after using franchise tag on him

The Baltimore Ravens have agreed to a four-year contract extension with defensive tackle Justin Madubuike. The deal Friday comes three days after the team put the franchise tag on him. Madubuike put himself in position for a big new contract with 13 sacks last season. He more than doubled his previous career high and helped Baltimore's defense become one of the league's best. Madubuike tied an NFL record when he had at least a half-sack in 11 consecutive games.

Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:

		Cincinnati	at	L-A Dodgers	8:05 p.m.	(Canceled)

		San Francisco	at	San Diego	8:40 p.m.	(Canceled)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Saturday, March 9th, 2024." />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Saturday, March 9th, 2024.</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for March 9th, 2024.D'Angelo Russell scores 44 points in LeBron-less Lakers' stunning 123-122 win over BucksLOS ANGELES (AP) — D'Angelo Russell scored 21 of his season-high 44 points in the fourth quarter and hit a go-ahead jumper with 5.9 seconds to play, and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame LeBron James' injury absence for a 123-122 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Spencer Dinwiddie blocked Damian Lillard's step-back jumper right before the buzzer to preserve a stirring win for the Lakers while James sat out to rest his sore left ankle. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists. Lillard scored eight of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, but the Bucks couldn't hang on in their second consecutive loss.Kirk Cousins, Chris Jones, Saquon Barkley are among the star players set to test NFL free agencyKirk Cousins will be a free agent for the first time since the Vikings gave him the first fully-guaranteed quarterback deal in the NFL. Baker Mayfield is expected to stay put in Tampa Bay. Russell Wilson has to make another move. Joe Flacco could find a new home, too. The quarterback carousel will start spinning when the NFL's free agency period opens Monday with the legal tampering period. Players can't officially sign new deals until the opening of the league's new year on Wednesday. While the quarterbacks get much of the attention, many of the best players available play other positions.Caitlin Clark sets NCAA record for 3s in a season as No. 4 Iowa beats Penn State in Big Ten tourneyMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark broke the NCAA Division I record for 3-pointers in a season by a woman or man, finishing with 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists on a poor shooting night to lead No. 4 Iowa past Penn State 95-62 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. Clark missed her first 11 3s before finally connecting in the fourth quarter. It was her 163rd 3-pointer of the season, surpassing Stephen Curry of Davidson and Darius McGhee of Liberty for the most by a D-I player. Clark finished 2 of 14 from long range and 5 of 19 overall. But Iowa still had little trouble with Penn State.Defending Cup champs Golden Knights acquire Hertl. Hurricanes, Panthers dominate deals in the EastThe defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights acquired Tomas Hertl from San Jose in what so far stands as the biggest deal made on the final day of NHL trading. Hertl joins a retooled roster after Vegas added defenseman Noah Hanifin and forward Anthony Mantha earlier in the week. The Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers were the busiest teams in the East. The Hurricanes acquired Evgeny Kuznetsov from Washington, less than a day after adding Jake Guentzel from Pittsburgh. Florida acquired Buffalo captain Kyle Okposo. Boston landed Pat Maroon. The Winnipeg Jets added forward Tyler Toffoli in a trade with New Jersey.Tiger Woods to skip the Players Championship as the Masters nearsORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods won't be at The Players Championship next week at TPC Sawgrass. The PGA Tour released the field for its premier championship and Woods was not part of it. He has not given a reason. That leaves questions whether or where the five-time Masters champion will play before he gets to Augusta National for the first major of the year. Woods has only 24 holes of competition this year. He withdrew after six holes of the second round at Riviera. He also played the Seminole Pro-Member last week. Woods has never missed the cut at the Masters as a pro.Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert makes "money sign" at official and implies betting in NBA is a problemCLEVELAND (AP) — Rudy Gobert's money gesture toward an official will likely draw the NBA's wrath. Minnesota's center said his reaction was worth every penny. Gobert was called for a technical foul in the closing seconds of regulation Friday night against Cleveland when he rubbed his fingers together several times, implying that referee Scott Foster might be on the take. After fouling out, Gobert made the gesture without Foster seeing him. Official Natalie Sago issued the technical on Gobert. Gobert didn't deny what he did after the game and went further in saying gambling could be having a major impact on the outcome of games. Gobert's actions and remarks will almost certainly be reviewed by the league.LeBron James sits out Lakers' showdown with Milwaukee Bucks due to his balky ankleLOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James is sitting out the Los Angeles Lakers' meeting with Milwaukee due to his injured left ankle. The 39-year-old James will miss his ninth game of the season when the Lakers host the Bucks. Los Angeles is 4-4 without him. James' ankle has bothered him all season long, and it forced him to miss each of the Lakers' games around the All-Star break. He then limped off the court in pain with about four minutes left in the Lakers' home loss to Sacramento.Some fans at frigid Chiefs playoff game underwent amputations, hospital confirmsKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri hospital has confirmed that some of the people who attended the near-record cold Kansas City Chiefs playoff game in January had to undergo amputations after suffering frostbite. Research Medical Center didn't provide exact numbers but said in a statement Friday that some of the 12 people who had to undergo amputations after the cold snap had been at the Jan. 13 game. The amputations involved mostly fingers and toes. And the hospital said more surgeries are expected over the next two to four weeks as "injuries evolve." The temperature for January's Dolphins-Chiefs wild-card playoff game was minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit, and wind gusts made for a wind chill of minus 27 degrees.Short change with Mookie Betts already moving from second base to shortstop for DodgersGLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Mookie Betts is already switching spots in the infield for the Los Angeles Dodgers, moving to shortstop from second base. The plan had been for the six-time Gold Glove and seven-time All-Star outfielder to be the Dodgers' regular second baseman this season. Betts was instead listed at shortstop for a spring training game Friday night against the Cincinnati Reds that ended up being canceled. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts says the switch 12 days before an early season opener is permanent for now. Expected shortstop Gavin Lux has struggled this spring in the field, primarily with short-hop throws to first base. The Dodgers are moving him to second base.Ravens agree to 4-year extension with DT Justin Madubuike after using franchise tag on himThe Baltimore Ravens have agreed to a four-year contract extension with defensive tackle Justin Madubuike. The deal Friday comes three days after the team put the franchise tag on him. Madubuike put himself in position for a big new contract with 13 sacks last season. He more than doubled his previous career high and helped Baltimore's defense become one of the league's best. Madubuike tied an NFL record when he had at least a half-sack in 11 consecutive games.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___INTERLEAGUEFinal	Philadelphia	6	Houston	3	Final	Pittsburgh	6	Minnesota	3	Final	Chicago Cubs	9	Seattle	5	Final	Milwaukee	7	Oakland	4	Final	L.A. Angels	8	Colorado	7	Final	Milwaukee	5	Oakland	4	___AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Toronto	2	N.Y. Yankees	1	Final	Kansas City	4	Texas	2	Final	Cleveland	2	Chicago White Sox	1	Final	Baltimore	4	Detroit	3	___NATIONAL LEAGUE		Cincinnati	at	L-A Dodgers	8:05 p.m.	(Canceled)		San Francisco	at	San Diego	8:40 p.m.	(Canceled)Final	Arizona	7	Chicago Cubs	5	Final	N.Y. Mets	3	Miami	1	Final	St. Louis	7	Washington	6	Final	Pittsburgh	6	Atlanta	6	___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal	Washington	112	Charlotte	100	Final	New Orleans	103	Philadelphia	95	Final	New York	98	Orlando	74	Final	Oklahoma City	107	Miami	100	Final	Atlanta	99	Memphis	92	Final OT	Cleveland	113	Minnesota	104	Final	Houston	123	Portland	107	Final	L.A. Lakers	123	Milwaukee	122	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUEFinal	Arizona	4	Detroit	0	Final OT	Colorado	2	Minnesota	1	Final	Winnipeg	3	Seattle	0	Final	Dallas	6	Anaheim	2	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALLFinal	Boise St.	79	(21)San Diego St.	77	Final	(25)Dayton	91	VCU	86	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___INTERLEAGUE		Washington	at	Houston	12:05 p.m.			Baltimore	at	Atlanta	1:05 p.m.			Pittsburgh	at	Detroit	1:05 p.m.			Toronto	at	Philadelphia	1:05 p.m.			Arizona	at	Kansas City	3:05 p.m.			Texas	at	L-A Dodgers	3:05 p.m.			Milwaukee	at	Oakland	3:05 p.m.			Oakland	at	San Francisco	3:05 p.m.			Seattle	at	Milwaukee	3:10 p.m.			Chi White Sox	at	San Diego	3:10 p.m.	___AMERICAN LEAGUE		N-Y Yankees	at	Minnesota	1:05 p.m.			L-A Angels	at	Cleveland	3:05 p.m.			Boston	at	Tampa Bay	5:05 p.m.	___NATIONAL LEAGUE		N-Y Mets	at	St. Louis	1:05 p.m.			Colorado	at	Chi Cubs	3:05 p.m.			Cincinnati	at	Arizona	3:10 p.m.			Miami	at	Washington	6:05 p.m.	___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION		Chicago	at	L.A. Clippers	4 p.m.			Brooklyn	at	Charlotte	7 p.m.			Dallas	at	Detroit	7 p.m.			Boston	at	Phoenix	8:30 p.m.			San Antonio	at	Golden State	8:30 p.m.			Utah	at	Denver	9 p.m.			Toronto	at	Portland	10 p.m.	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE		Carolina	at	New Jersey	12:30 p.m.			Edmonton	at	Buffalo	12:30 p.m.			Nashville	at	Columbus	12:30 p.m.			Pittsburgh	at	Boston	3 p.m.			Calgary	at	Florida	4 p.m.			Chicago	at	Washington	7 p.m.			Ottawa	at	San Jose	7 p.m.			Philadelphia	at	Tampa Bay	7 p.m.			Toronto	at	Montreal	7 p.m.			St. Louis	at	N-Y Rangers	7:30 p.m.			Detroit	at	Vegas	10 p.m.			Winnipeg	at	Vancouver	10 p.m.			Dallas	at	Los Angeles	10:30 p.m.	___TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL		(14)Kansas	at	(1)Houston	4 p.m.			(2)UConn	at	Providence	8 p.m.			(15)Kentucky	at	(4)Tennessee	4 p.m.			(5)Arizona	at	Southern Cal	10 p.m.			(6)Iowa St.	at	Kansas St.	2 p.m.			(7)North Carolina	at	(9)Duke	6:30 p.m.			(8)Marquette	at	Xavier	5 p.m.			(10)Creighton	at	Villanova	2:30 p.m.			(11)Baylor	at	Texas Tech	6 p.m.			Georgia	at	(13)Auburn	6:30 p.m.			Arkansas	at	(16)Alabama	12 p.m.			(17)South Carolina	at	Mississippi St.	2:30 p.m.			Oklahoma St.	at	(20)BYU	9 p.m.			New Mexico	at	(22)Utah St.	8:30 p.m.			(24)South Florida	at	Tulsa	3 p.m.	___MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER		Portland	at	New York City FC	2 p.m.			Charlotte FC	at	Toronto FC	2 p.m.			New England	at	Atlanta	7:30 p.m.			Chicago	at	Columbus	7:30 p.m.			FC Dallas	at	New York	7:30 p.m.			Minnesota	at	Orlando City	7:30 p.m.			Seattle	at	Philadelphia	7:30 p.m.			St Louis City	at	Austin FC	8:30 p.m.			Colorado	at	Real Salt Lake	9:30 p.m.			Sporting Kansas City	at	Los Angeles FC	10:30 p.m.			Vancouver	at	San Jose	10:30 p.m.	___

📢📰 Sports Headlines for Saturday

<a href="https://kjccc.prestosports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/files/2024_Women-s_Basketball_Playoffs">Region VI Women's Bracket</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kjccc.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/files/2024_Men-s_Basketball_Playoffs">Region VI Men's Bracket</a>

The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Region VI Tournament gets underway across the state of Kansas on Saturday. The first and second round games will be played at higher seeds before the semifinals and finals will be played at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.

The HutchCC men's and women's teams received a first round bye after finishing in the top four of the KJCCC regular season standings.

The Blue Dragon women are the No. 1 seed and will play the winner of Cowley/Cloud County on Tuesday, March 12 at 5:30 p.m. in the Sports Arena.

The HutchCC men received the No. 3 seed and will play the winner of Garden City/Seward County on Tuesday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Sports Arena.

NJCAA DI Women's Schedule First Round Games | Saturday, March 9 1 p.m. - (8) Cowley vs. (9) Cloud County (in Arkansas City) 2 p.m. - (5) Coffeyville vs. (12) Colby (in Coffeyville) 2 p.m. - (7) Garden City vs. (10) Independence (in Garden City) 6 p.m. - (6) Seward County vs. (11) Pratt (in Liberal) Quarterfinal Games | Tuesday, March 12 5:30 p.m. - (1) Hutchinson vs. Cowley/Cloud County winner (in Hutch) 5:30 p.m. -&nbsp;(3) Butler vs. Seward County/Pratt winner (in El Dorado) 5:30 p.m. - (4) Barton vs. Coffeyville/Colby winner (in Great Bend) 7 p.m. -&nbsp;(2) Dodge City vs. Garden City/Independence winner (in DC) Semifinal Games | Friday, March 15 | Hutchinson Sports Arena 1 p.m. - TBD vs. TBD 5:30 p.m. - TBD vs. TBD Championship Game | Saturday, March 16 | Hutchinson Sports Arena 3 p.m. - TBD vs. TBD

NJCAA DI Men's Schedule First Round Games | Saturday, March 9 4 p.m. - (8) Coffeyville vs. (9) Pratt (in Coffeyville) 4 p.m. - (5) Cloud County vs. (12) Colby (in Concordia) 4 p.m. - (6) Garden City vs. (11) Seward County (in Garden City) 4 p.m. - (7) Northwest Tech vs. (10) Dodge City (in Goodland) Quarterfinal Games | Tuesday, March 12 7 p.m. - (2) Cowley vs. NW Tech/Dodge City winner (in Arkansas City) 7:30 p.m. - (1) Barton vs. Coffeyville/Pratt winner (in Great Bend) 7:30 p.m. - (3) Hutchinson vs. Garden City/Seward winner (in Hutch) 7:30 p.m. - (4) Butler vs. Cloud County/Colby winner (in El Dorado) Semifinal Games | Friday, March 15 | Hutchinson Sports Arena 3 p.m. - TBD vs. TBD 7:30 p.m. - TBD vs. TBD Championship Game | Saturday, March 16 | Hutchinson Sports Arena 5 p.m. - TBD vs. TBD&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709826809784.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://kjccc.prestosports.com/sports/wbkb/2023-24/files/2024_Women-s_Basketball_Playoffs">Region VI Women's Bracket</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kjccc.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/files/2024_Men-s_Basketball_Playoffs">Region VI Men's Bracket</a>The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Region VI Tournament gets underway across the state of Kansas on Saturday. The first and second round games will be played at higher seeds before the semifinals and finals will be played at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.The HutchCC men's and women's teams received a first round bye after finishing in the top four of the KJCCC regular season standings.The Blue Dragon women are the No. 1 seed and will play the winner of Cowley/Cloud County on Tuesday, March 12 at 5:30 p.m. in the Sports Arena.The HutchCC men received the No. 3 seed and will play the winner of Garden City/Seward County on Tuesday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Sports Arena.NJCAA DI Women's Schedule First Round Games | Saturday, March 9 1 p.m. - (8) Cowley vs. (9) Cloud County (in Arkansas City) 2 p.m. - (5) Coffeyville vs. (12) Colby (in Coffeyville) 2 p.m. - (7) Garden City vs. (10) Independence (in Garden City) 6 p.m. - (6) Seward County vs. (11) Pratt (in Liberal) Quarterfinal Games | Tuesday, March 12 5:30 p.m. - (1) Hutchinson vs. Cowley/Cloud County winner (in Hutch) 5:30 p.m. -&nbsp;(3) Butler vs. Seward County/Pratt winner (in El Dorado) 5:30 p.m. - (4) Barton vs. Coffeyville/Colby winner (in Great Bend) 7 p.m. -&nbsp;(2) Dodge City vs. Garden City/Independence winner (in DC) Semifinal Games | Friday, March 15 | Hutchinson Sports Arena 1 p.m. - TBD vs. TBD 5:30 p.m. - TBD vs. TBD Championship Game | Saturday, March 16 | Hutchinson Sports Arena 3 p.m. - TBD vs. TBDNJCAA DI Men's Schedule First Round Games | Saturday, March 9 4 p.m. - (8) Coffeyville vs. (9) Pratt (in Coffeyville) 4 p.m. - (5) Cloud County vs. (12) Colby (in Concordia) 4 p.m. - (6) Garden City vs. (11) Seward County (in Garden City) 4 p.m. - (7) Northwest Tech vs. (10) Dodge City (in Goodland) Quarterfinal Games | Tuesday, March 12 7 p.m. - (2) Cowley vs. NW Tech/Dodge City winner (in Arkansas City) 7:30 p.m. - (1) Barton vs. Coffeyville/Pratt winner (in Great Bend) 7:30 p.m. - (3) Hutchinson vs. Garden City/Seward winner (in Hutch) 7:30 p.m. - (4) Butler vs. Cloud County/Colby winner (in El Dorado) Semifinal Games | Friday, March 15 | Hutchinson Sports Arena 3 p.m. - TBD vs. TBD 7:30 p.m. - TBD vs. TBD Championship Game | Saturday, March 16 | Hutchinson Sports Arena 5 p.m. - TBD vs. TBD&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709929636782.png" alt="2024 Region VI Women's Bracket" />
 <figcaption>2024 Region VI Women's Bracket</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709929653429.png" alt="2024 Region VI Men's Bracket" />
 <figcaption>2024 Region VI Men's Bracket</figcaption>
 </figure>

🏀 NJCAA Region VI Tournament gets underway Saturday

SPRINGFIELD, Mass.&nbsp;– Kansas senior Hunter Dickinson has been named one of five finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced today.

The annual Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, named after the&nbsp;Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion, celebrates its 10th year by&nbsp;honoring&nbsp;the top centers in Division I men’s college basketball.

Joining Dickinson as finalists are Armando Bacot (North Carolina), Zach Edey (Purdue), PJ Hall (Clemson) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton).

A six-time Big 12 weekly award winner and on nearly every national player of the year and All-America watch list, Dickinson leads the Big 12 and is seventh nationally in rebounds per game at 11. The Alexandria, Virginia, native recorded his 16th double-double of the season with 15 points and 20 rebounds against Kansas State (3/5) and his 16 double-doubles lead the Big 12 and are 10th nationally. With an 18.2 ppg, which is second in the Big 12 behind Kansas teammate Kevin McCullar Jr., Dickinson is the only player in the Big 12 averaging a double-double. He also leads the Big 12 with 14 games of 20-plus points and leads KU with 42 blocked shots and has 29 steals.

Dickinson enters Saturday’s game at Houston with 2,163 points and 1,117 rebounds and is one of four active players in&nbsp;NCAA&nbsp;Division I to surpass both 2,100 points and 1,100 rebounds for his career. Prior to joining Kansas last summer, Dickinson was a three-time all-conference honoree while at Michigan and a 2021 Consensus All-America Second Team selection.

Fans can support their favorite player by participating in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, starting Friday, March 8, on&nbsp;<a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhoophallawards.com%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ctheisen%40ku.edu%7C34ec120da7f640f83a7508dc3f839382%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638455081569690651%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=TfpZsNAcbKRNS2bEcKCvbPqWqhm4jrN9ruB3oVNUeIY%3D&amp;reserved=0">hoophallawards.com</a>. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.

Later this month, the finalists will be presented to Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame’s selection committees.&nbsp;The Selection Committee for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award are composed of top men’s basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.

The winner of the 2024 Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard), the&nbsp;Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard), the&nbsp;Julius Erving Award (Small Forward) and the Karl Malone Award (Power Forward). In 2017 Kansas’ Frank Mason III won the Bob Cousy Award and in 2023 KU’s Jalen Wilson won the Julius Erving Award.

Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award are Edey, Purdue (2023), Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky (2022), Luka Garza, Iowa (2020-21), Ethan Happ, Wisconsin (2019), Angel Delgado, Seton Hall (2018), Przemek Karnowski, Gonzaga (2017), Jakob Poeltl, Utah (2016), and Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin (2015).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709930832970.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Courtesy of Kansas AthleticsSPRINGFIELD, Mass.&nbsp;– Kansas senior Hunter Dickinson has been named one of five finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced today.The annual Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, named after the&nbsp;Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion, celebrates its 10th year by&nbsp;honoring&nbsp;the top centers in Division I men’s college basketball.Joining Dickinson as finalists are Armando Bacot (North Carolina), Zach Edey (Purdue), PJ Hall (Clemson) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton).A six-time Big 12 weekly award winner and on nearly every national player of the year and All-America watch list, Dickinson leads the Big 12 and is seventh nationally in rebounds per game at 11. The Alexandria, Virginia, native recorded his 16th double-double of the season with 15 points and 20 rebounds against Kansas State (3/5) and his 16 double-doubles lead the Big 12 and are 10th nationally. With an 18.2 ppg, which is second in the Big 12 behind Kansas teammate Kevin McCullar Jr., Dickinson is the only player in the Big 12 averaging a double-double. He also leads the Big 12 with 14 games of 20-plus points and leads KU with 42 blocked shots and has 29 steals.Dickinson enters Saturday’s game at Houston with 2,163 points and 1,117 rebounds and is one of four active players in&nbsp;NCAA&nbsp;Division I to surpass both 2,100 points and 1,100 rebounds for his career. Prior to joining Kansas last summer, Dickinson was a three-time all-conference honoree while at Michigan and a 2021 Consensus All-America Second Team selection.Fans can support their favorite player by participating in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, starting Friday, March 8, on&nbsp;<a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhoophallawards.com%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ctheisen%40ku.edu%7C34ec120da7f640f83a7508dc3f839382%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638455081569690651%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=TfpZsNAcbKRNS2bEcKCvbPqWqhm4jrN9ruB3oVNUeIY%3D&amp;reserved=0">hoophallawards.com</a>. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.Later this month, the finalists will be presented to Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame’s selection committees.&nbsp;The Selection Committee for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award are composed of top men’s basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.The winner of the 2024 Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard), the&nbsp;Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard), the&nbsp;Julius Erving Award (Small Forward) and the Karl Malone Award (Power Forward). In 2017 Kansas’ Frank Mason III won the Bob Cousy Award and in 2023 KU’s Jalen Wilson won the Julius Erving Award.Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award are Edey, Purdue (2023), Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky (2022), Luka Garza, Iowa (2020-21), Ethan Happ, Wisconsin (2019), Angel Delgado, Seton Hall (2018), Przemek Karnowski, Gonzaga (2017), Jakob Poeltl, Utah (2016), and Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin (2015).

🏀 MBB: Dickinson named finalist for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award

(AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs are bringing back versatile linebacker Drue Tranquill on a three-year, $19 million contract, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Thursday night.

The person requested anonymity because the team had not announced the contract.

Tranquill signed with the Chiefs relatively late last offseason after spending the previous four years with the AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers. But rather than an afterthought, Tranquill emerged as an important contributor for the league’s second-ranked defense, making 4 1/2 sacks and helping to fill in as a starter while Nick Bolton was out with an injury.

Tranquill, who will turn 29 in August, was at his best in the playoffs, making four tackles apiece in the wild-card and divisional rounds before making eight stops in the AFC championship game against Baltimore. He also had a pair of assists in the Super Bowl, when the Chiefs rallied to force overtime against San Francisco and then won their second straight Lombardi Trophy.

“Unfinished business,” Tranquill wrote in a social media post Thursday.

The Chiefs have a number of decisions to make if they want to return one of the NFL’s best defenses largely intact, and the first big one came earlier this week, when they used the franchise tag on L’Jarius Sneed.

Sneed arguably would have been the top cornerback in free agency, and now he faces the prospect of playing next season on a $19.8 million deal with Kansas City if the sides are unable to work out a long-term contract. The Chiefs also could trade him to a team willing to give him that lucrative contract in return for draft picks and salary cap relief.

The other big decision facing Kansas City is whether to give All-Pro pass rusher Chris Jones the long-term deal he desires after failing to reach an agreement the past two offseasons. Jones held out all of last offseason and through the Chiefs’ Week 1 loss to Detroit before ultimately signing a revised one-year agreement so that he would get back on the field.

As those two situations play out, the Chiefs have other moves to make on the defensive side of the ball. They must decide whether to re-sign or replace safety Mike Edwards, who became an important player alongside Justin Reid after Bryan Cook sustained a season-ending injury. Willie Gay Jr. is due to hit free agency after proving to be the Chiefs’ most athletic linebacker. And defensive linemen Tershawn Wharton, Derrick Nnadi and Mike Danna also are becoming free agents.

In the meantime, the Chiefs made sure Tranquill will be back as they chase a third straight Super Bowl title.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709907018545.png" alt="AP Photo/Julio Cortez" />
 <figcaption>AP Photo/Julio Cortez</figcaption>
 </figure>(AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs are bringing back versatile linebacker Drue Tranquill on a three-year, $19 million contract, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Thursday night.The person requested anonymity because the team had not announced the contract.Tranquill signed with the Chiefs relatively late last offseason after spending the previous four years with the AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers. But rather than an afterthought, Tranquill emerged as an important contributor for the league’s second-ranked defense, making 4 1/2 sacks and helping to fill in as a starter while Nick Bolton was out with an injury.Tranquill, who will turn 29 in August, was at his best in the playoffs, making four tackles apiece in the wild-card and divisional rounds before making eight stops in the AFC championship game against Baltimore. He also had a pair of assists in the Super Bowl, when the Chiefs rallied to force overtime against San Francisco and then won their second straight Lombardi Trophy.“Unfinished business,” Tranquill wrote in a social media post Thursday.The Chiefs have a number of decisions to make if they want to return one of the NFL’s best defenses largely intact, and the first big one came earlier this week, when they used the franchise tag on L’Jarius Sneed.Sneed arguably would have been the top cornerback in free agency, and now he faces the prospect of playing next season on a $19.8 million deal with Kansas City if the sides are unable to work out a long-term contract. The Chiefs also could trade him to a team willing to give him that lucrative contract in return for draft picks and salary cap relief.The other big decision facing Kansas City is whether to give All-Pro pass rusher Chris Jones the long-term deal he desires after failing to reach an agreement the past two offseasons. Jones held out all of last offseason and through the Chiefs’ Week 1 loss to Detroit before ultimately signing a revised one-year agreement so that he would get back on the field.As those two situations play out, the Chiefs have other moves to make on the defensive side of the ball. They must decide whether to re-sign or replace safety Mike Edwards, who became an important player alongside Justin Reid after Bryan Cook sustained a season-ending injury. Willie Gay Jr. is due to hit free agency after proving to be the Chiefs’ most athletic linebacker. And defensive linemen Tershawn Wharton, Derrick Nnadi and Mike Danna also are becoming free agents.In the meantime, the Chiefs made sure Tranquill will be back as they chase a third straight Super Bowl title.

🏈 Chiefs bringing back LB Drue Tranquill on 3-year deal

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701263164849.png" alt="Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for Friday, March 8th, 2024." />
 <figcaption>Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for Friday, March 8th, 2024.</figcaption>
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