Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — No. 20 Illinois locked up a share of the Big Ten regular-season title when Kofi Cockburn had 21 points and 14 rebounds to lead a 74-72 win over No. 24 Iowa. The Fighting Illini's hopes for a conference crown were kept alive when Nebraska upset No. 10 Wisconsin earlier Sunday. They didn't let the opportunity go to waste, claiming at least a share of the Big Ten championship for the first time since winning it in 2004 and '05. Illinois erased a 15-point first-half deficit, but Alfonso Plummer led the charge back en route to 15 points. Coleman Hawkins added nine points and 11 rebounds.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Dougie Hamilton scored in overtime and rookie Nico Daws made 19 saves and the New Jersey Devils edged the St. Louis Blues 3-2. Hamilton scored his ninth goal of the season at the 1:12 of the extra session with a high shot to beat Blues netminder Ville Husso. Pavel Zacha and Jack Hughes assisted on the winning goal.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Derrin Hansen was fired as Omaha men's basketball coach following a second straight five-win season. Hansen led the Mavericks through their transition from Division II to Division I. Hansen had been a member of the Mavericks' staff since 1998 and head coach for 17 seasons. Hansen compiled a 253-260 record, including 92-122 since the program became a full Division I member in 2015. The Mavericks were 5-25 overall and 4-14 in Summit League play this season.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Monika Czinano had 30 points and 10 rebounds and Caitlin Clark scored 18 as No. 12 Iowa captured its second Big Ten Tournament title in four years by beating No. 14 Indiana 74-67. The league's regular-season co-champs have won seven straight to earn an NCAA Tournament automatic bid. It's the first time Iowa has won regular season and tourney titles in the same season. Grace Berger finished with 20 points and Nicole Cardano-Hillary had 19 for Indiana. Eventually the weariness from playing four games in four days caught up with the Hoosiers.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Tenth-ranked Wisconsin lost leading scorer Johnny Davis when he was injured on a flagrant foul early in the second half, and the Badgers also missed a chance to clinch the Big Ten title outright by falling to Nebraska 74-73. Alonzo Verge Jr. scored Nebraska's last nine points, part of a 12-0 rally in the final minutes. Wisconsin is 24-6 and will now share the title with No. 20 Illinois. The conference tournament starts this week. Davis was hurt when he was fouled on a layup try by Trey McGowens with 17:32 left. Davis didn't return and the Badgers said he was out with a lower body injury. Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said he was '"optimistic" that Davis would be fine. Davis averages 20.3 points. McGowens was ejected.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Lucas Williamson had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Aher Uguak added 16 points and 10 boards and Loyola Chicago defeated Drake 64-58 to win the Missouri Valley Conference tournament and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. Ryan Schwieger added 13 points for the fourth-seeded Ramblers, who came through against the Bulldogs in a rugged championship game after losing twice in the regular season to Drake. Roman Penn scored 18 points and MVC freshman of the year Tucker DeVries had 15 points and a career-high five blocks for Drake.
IRVING, Texas (AP) — Kansas junior guard Ochai Agbaji is the unanimous pick by the Big 12 coaches as the league's player of the year. Baylor's Scott Drew was selected by his peers as the Big 12's top coach for the third season in a row. The reigning national champion Bears shared the Big 12 regular-season title with Kansas. Agbaji is the league's top scorer at 19.8 points per game. Agbaji and Texas Tech forward Bryson Williams were unanimous picks on the All-Big 12 first team. The other first-teamers are guards Izaiah Brockington from Iowa State, James Akinjo from Baylor and Nijel Pack from Kansas State.
Update on the latest sports
NBA-SCHEDULE
Bucks rally to beat Suns
UNDATED (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks have knocked off another division leader.
The Bucks closed on a 12-1 run to beat the short-handed Suns, 132-122.
Khris Middleton poured in a season-high 44 points in Milwaukee's fourth straight win, a streak that includes games against the Heat and Bulls. Jrue Holiday helped the Bucks close out the win by scoring 17 of his 24 points in the final period.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH'-nihs an-teh-tah-KOON'-poh) had 19 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in 31 minutes before fouling out with 1:12 left.
The Suns continued to play without All-Star guards Devin Booker and Chris Paul. DeAndre Ayton had a team-high 30 points, and Cam Payne had 23 for Phoenix, which has dropped three of five since an eight-game winning streak.
Checking out Sunday's other NBA action:
— Jayson Tatum scored 34 of his season-high 54 points in the second half of the Celtics' 13th win in 15 games, 126-120 over the Nets. Jaylen Brown added 21 points, including a 3-pointer that gave Boston a 121-115 lead in the final minute. Brooklyn wasted a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost for the 18th time in 23 games despite Kevin Durant's 37 points.
— The Rockets had dropped 12 in a row before Kevin Porter Jr. and Christian Wood carried them to a 123-112 win over the Grizzlies. Porter scored 22 of his 29 points in the second half, 19 in the third quarter. Wood delivered 28 points and 13 rebounds for Houston, which trailed by 10 at halftime.
— Bojan (BOY'-ahn) Bogdanovic made a franchise-record 11 3-pointers and scored 35 points to help the Jazz defeat the Thunder, 116-103. Donovan Mitchell had 24 points and 10 assists, and Jordan Clarkson added 20 points for the Jazz, who bounced back from Friday's 124-90 loss to New Orleans. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 33 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Thunder.
— The Nuggets outlasted the Pelicans, 138-130 as Nikola Jokic (nih-KOH'-lah YOH'-kihch) scored 30 of his 46 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. Jokic hit two free throws to tie it with 3.2 second remaining in regulation and then knocked in a momentum-swinging 3-pointer with 1:30 left in OT. The Nuggets led 34-13 with 1:27 left in the opening quarter but trailed by four in overtime before scoring the game's final 12 points.
— The Cavaliers won for just the second time in eight games as rookie Evan Mobley had 20 points and 17 rebounds in a 104-96 victory against the Raptors. Lauri Markkanen scored 22 and Darius Garland had 17 with 10 assists for the Cavs. Cedi (CHEH'-dee) Osman added 17 points and Kevin Love 15 as Cleveland improved to 3-0 against Toronto.
— The Knicks' seven-game losing streak over after RJ Barrett provided 24 points and nine rebounds in a 116-93 laugher over the Clippers. Immanuel Quickley chipped in 19 points, 10 rebounds and six assists off the bench, while Cam Reddish had 17 points in a reserve role. Backup Amir Coffey was the lone Clipper with more than 14 points, finishing with 16.
— Kristaps Porzingis (KRIHS'-tahps pohr-ZIHN'-gihs) scored 25 points in his first game for the Wizards, a 133-123 win over the Pacers. Porzingis returned from a right knee bone bruise and played for the first time since the Wizards acquired him from Dallas in a trade last month. Kyle Kuzma (KOOZ'-mah) scored 23 points for the Wizards, who took control of the game with a 39-point third quarter.
NBA-NEWS-KNICKS-RANDLE FINED
Randle fined $50K
NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has fined New York Knicks forward Julius Randle $50,000 for shoving Phoenix Suns forward Cam Johnson, making contact with a referee who was trying to break up the altercation and refusing to participate in its ensuing investigation.
Randle and Johnson were both called for technical fouls after bumping chests and exchanging words in the third quarter of a wild 115-114 victory by the Suns over the Knicks on Friday night. A referee separated the two, but then Randle barreled through the ref to shove Johnson again, which earned the ejection.
In other NBA news:
— Miami guard Victor Oladipo (oh-lah-DEE'-poh) is listed as questionable for Monday's game against the Rockets. That means there's a 50-50 chance of the two-time All-Star playing for the first time in nearly a year. The expectation is that Oladipo will play barring any last-second setback.
T25 MEN'S BASKETBALL
Bad day for top-25 clubs
UNDATED (AP) — It has been a tough day for ranked men's basketball teams as Wisconsin, Houston and Ohio State all tasted defeat. It was doubly worse for the Badgers, who now have to share the Big Ten regular-season title with Illinois.
Tenth-ranked Wisconsin missed a chance to clinch the conference crown outright by falling to Nebraska, 74-73. Alonzo Verge Jr. scored Nebraska's last nine points, part of a 12-0 rally in the final minutes.
The Badgers finished the game without Johnny Davis, injured on a flagrant foul early in the second half,
Brad Davison scored 20 points for Wisconsin, which had won five in a row.
Tyler Harris scored 15 points to help Memphis beat No. 14 Houston for the second time this season, 75-61. Landers Nolley and Lester Quinones added 11 each for the Tigers, who led by 20 in the second half and beat a ranked team for the third straight time. Kyler Edwards led Houston (26-5) with 19 points.
DeVante' Jones scored 21 points and Michigan rallied in the second half to beat 23rd-rated Ohio State, 75-69. The Wolverines went on a 14-1 run midway through the second to jump ahead 56-44 with 10:18 left. The Buckeyes pulled within four points with 11 seconds remaining, but Terrance Williams II made a pair of free throws to seal it.
No. 20 Illinois claimed a share of the Big Ten title with a 74-72 victory over No. 24 Iowa. Kofi Cockburn had 21 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Illini to their first conference championship since 2005.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Blues go 0-for-NY metro area
UNDATED (AP) — The St. Louis Blues were a pretty hot hockey team before going 0-2-1 through the New York metropolitan area.
The Blues have followed losses to the Rangers and Islanders by falling to the Devils, 3-2 in overtime. Dougie Hamilton scored at 1:12 of OT and rookie Nico Daws made 19 saves. The Devils led 2-0 on goals by Ty Smith and Dawson Mercer heading into the third, but St. Louis knotted the score when Torey Krug (kroog) and Jordan Kyrou (KY'-roo) scored less than four minutes apart early in the period.
Vladimir Tarasenko had two assists for the Blues, who had been winners of four straight and six of seven before their winless road trip.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— Victor Hedman, Corey Perry and Mikhail Sergachev (SUR'-gah-chehv) scored during a 32-second span of the third period to send the Lightning past the Blackhawks, 6-3. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions came from behind with a five-goal outburst over seven minutes bridging the second and third periods. Hedman scored twice and Sergachev had a goal and two assists.
— Forward Chris Kreider added another two goals as the Rangers defeated the Jets, 4-1. Kreider is tied for second in the league with 38 goals. Mike Zibanejad (MEe'-kah zih-BAN'-eh-jad) and Barclay Goodrow also scored for the Blueshirts, who got 45 saves from Igor Shesterkin (shehs-TUR'-kihn).
— Jason Robertson did it again, registering his second straight hat trick to power the Stars to their seventh win in nine games, 6-3 against the Wild. Robertson capped his outburst with an empty-netter, two days after scoring three against the Jets. He has 29 goals this season and seven in his last three games.
— Martin Necas (mahr-TEEN' NAY'-chas) scored with 9:38 remaining to give the Hurricanes their first lead in a 3-2 win over the Kraken. Necas had gone 18 games without a goal before helping Carolina extend its home point straight to 11 games. Nino Niederreiter (NEE'-dur-eye-tur) and Teuvo Teravainen (TAY'-voo tehr-ah-VY'-nehn) scored second-period goals on power plays for the Hurricanes.
— The Golden Knights pulled out a 2-1 win over the Senators on Jack Eichel's (EYE'-kuhlz) power-play goal with 5.2 seconds remaining. Jonathan Marchessault (MAHR'-sheh-soh) also scored for Vegas and Robin Lehner (LEH'-nur) made 39 saves in his 150th career win. Brady Tkachuk (kah-CHUHK') scored the lone goal for Ottawa.
— The streaking Kings earned a 3-0 win at Buffalo as Andreas Athanasiou (ath-a-nah-SEE'-oo) scored twice, including the 100th of his career. Cal Petersen stopped 19 shots to help Los Angeles win for the seventh time in nine games overall and and improved to 10-1-2 over its past 13 road games. The Kings are 31-19-7, their most victories through 57 games since 2015-16.
— Rickard Rakell (rah-KEHL') scored 14 seconds into overtime to complete the Ducks' 3-2 win over the Sharks. Adam Henrique (hehn-REEK') had a goal and an assist before playing an important role in the clever scheme that led to Rakell's game-winning goal. Anthony Stolarz (STOH'-lahrz) made 20 saves in Anaheim's fourth victory in 11 games.
MLB-LOCKOUT
MLB reacts angrily to locked-out players, season still off
NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball reacted angrily to the latest offer by locked-out players when bargaining to end the lockout resumed Sunday.
Management accused the union of backtracking and showing no sign of a breakthrough to get the derailed season back on track.
The squabbling sides talked for 95 minutes on the 95th day of the lockout, largely restating their positions.
The sides remain far apart on the luxury tax, minimum salaries and the proposed bonus pool for pre-arbitration eligible players. The union lowered its starting point for the bonus pool by $5 million to $80 million.
NASCAR-LAS VEGAS
Bowman wins in Vegas
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Alex Bowman beat NASCAR champion Kyle Larson in a door-to-door overtime battle at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The win was the 282nd and second straight for Rick Hendrick, the winningest car owner in NASCAR history.
Bowman got a shot at the win when a caution with three laps remaining shifted the race from a pair of Joe Gibbs Racing cars to the Hendrick teammates. Las Vegas native Kyle Busch and teammate Martin Truex were in a lap-by-lap chess match for the win until the 12th caution ended the stirring duel.
Ross Chastain was third, followed by Busch and William Byron.
PGA-PALMER INVITATIONAL
Scheffler's stead 72 gives him Palmer victory
ORLANDO (AP) — Scottie Scheffler closed with an even-par 72 to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational by one shot at Bay Hill.
Scheffler made key putts to save two unlikely pars, followed with a pair of lag putts. Scheffler now has two PGA Tour titles in the last month, having picked up his first victory at the Phoenix Open.
Billy Horschel shot 75 and tied for second with Tyrrell Hatton and Viktor Hovland. Horschel missed a 30-foot birdie try on 18.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS-HOAG CLASSIC
Goosen gets comfortable win
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Retief Goosen (reh-TEEF' GOO'-sehn) earned a four-shot win at the Hoag Classic.
Goosen holed out for eagle from a greenside bunker on the short par-4 first hole, birdied the next two and cruised to an 8-under 63.
A stroke behind fellow South African star Ernie Els entering the round, Goosen pulled away quickly at Newport Beach Country Club in breezy but calmer conditions than the players faced Saturday.
K.J. Choi was second after a 66 in the PGA Tour Champions event.
LPGA-SINGAPORE
Jin Young Ko wins on return to LPGA Tour after 3-month break
SINGAPORE (AP) — World No. 1 Jin Young Ko birdied the 18th hole for a 6-under 66 to win the LPGA Tour's HSBC Women's World Championship by two strokes over fellow South Korean player In Gee Chun and Australian Minjee Lee.
Ko was making her return to the LPGA Tour after a three-month break. She finished with a 72-hole total of 17-under 271.
WORLD CUP-WOMEN'S GIANT SLALOM
Shiffrin pads World Cup lead in giant slalom with 4th-place finish
LENZERHEIDE, Switzerland (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin has stretched her lead in Alpine skiing's overall World Cup standings by finishing fourth in a giant slalom in Switzerland. Her closest rival Petra Vlhová failed to finish the first run.
Shiffrin earned 50 points to build her lead to 117 over Vlhová with six events left in the next two weeks.
MEXICO-SOCCER BRAWL
Mexico suspends league soccer matches after massive brawl
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's top-division soccer league suspended all matches scheduled for Sunday after a massive brawl among fans.
Saturday's match between the host Queretaro and Atlas from Guadalajara was suspended in the 62nd minute when multiple fights broke out in the stands.
Queretaro Gov. Mauricio Kuri said Sunday that 23 men remain hospitalized, three in critical condition.
CLICK HERE to download the Hutch Post mobile app.
CLICK HERE to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.