Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
DALLAS (AP) — David Perron scored his team-leading 24th goal and the St. Louis Blues chased Dallas goalie Ben Bishop early while extending their Western Conference lead with a dominant 5-1 victory over the Stars. Jake Allen stopped 18 shots in the Blues' third straight win since a 0-3-2 stretch that included an overtime loss at home to the Stars. Colton Parayko had a goal and two assists to help the Blues stop the Stars from pulling even in the West for the third time this week. St. Louis is four points ahead of Dallas with 20 games to go. The Stars have 21 games remaining.
JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals slugger Paul Goldschmidt never found consistency with his swing last season. Poor swings that yield ugly results early in spring training games may actually prevent that from happening again this season. The 32-year-old is ready to take his cuts as the games get underway this weekend, but he is not yet ready for the field. Arm soreness has limited Goldschmidt's throwing, and manager Mike Shildt will use him as the designated hitter Saturday and in his next scheduled appearance on Monday.
UNDATED (AP) — Bill Dennis remembers the stories his father-in-law Bill Wheatley would tell about playing in the 1936 Olympics. It was the first time basketball was a medal sport in the international event, and the United States won gold in Berlin in a game played outdoors on a dirt court in a rainstorm - beating Canada 19-8. As team captain, Wheatley went up to the podium during the medal ceremony and received the Olympic wreath and first basketball gold medal from James Naismith, who invented the game. His teammates each received their medals afterward. The 78-year-old Dennis is now selling Wheatley's medal at auction.
UNDATED (AP) — Top-ranked Baylor heads into Saturday's showdown with No. 3 Kansas carrying a league-record 23-game winning streak. That streak includes its first road victory in 18 tries against the Jayhawks. The Bears could deal a staggering blow to the Jayhawks' hopes of winning the Big 12 championship by completing the series sweep. A win at home also might solidify their spot as the overall No. 1 seed in next month's NCAA Tournament.
UNDATED (AP) — No. 7 Maryland visits No. 25 Ohio State on Sunday. The Big Ten-leading Terrapins look to win their 10th in a row and complete a two-game sweep against the Buckeyes, after beating them 67-55 at home last month behind Anthony Cowan Jr.'s 20 points. Ohio State shot just 31% in that one, 5 for 27 on 3-pointers. With a two-game lead over No. 9 Penn State, Maryland also hopes to create more space in the conference standings.
UNDATED (AP) — No. 10 Kentucky has won five in a row and holds a two-game lead over three schools in the Southeastern Conference. That trio includes Florida, which brings a three-game winning streak into the first of two meetings against the Wildcats. The Gators have regrouped from a 17-point loss at Mississippi to win their last three by an average margin of 16.3 points per game. They've won five of six overall since a three-game slide and look to continue their quest to earn one of the top four seeds and a double bye for the tournament in Nashville.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Alexa Willard scored 14 points, Abby Hipp added 11 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 23 Missouri State beat Evansville 76-62. Brice Calip had 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Bears, who trailed for the only time when the Aces scored the opening basket on Lola Bracy's 3-pointer. Abby Feit led the Aces with 17 points and made 4 of 5 from 3-point range.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Javonte Perkins had 25 points as Saint Louis beat VCU 80-62. Marcus Santos-Silva led the Rams with 11 points.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Dallas 122 Orlando 106
Final Cleveland 113 Washington 108
Final Indiana 106 New York 98
Final Toronto 118 Phoenix 101
Final Boston 127 Minnesota 117
Final Oklahoma City 113 Denver 101
Final San Antonio 113 Utah 104
Final New Orleans 128 Portland 115
Final L.A. Lakers 117 Memphis 105
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final N-Y Rangers 5 Carolina 2
Final N-Y Islanders 4 Detroit 1
Final St. Louis 5 Dallas 1
Final OT Chicago 2 Nashville 1
Final Boston 4 Calgary 3
Final Minnesota 5 Edmonton 3
Final Colorado 1 Anaheim 0
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Sacramento at L.A. Clippers 3:30 p.m.
Brooklyn at Charlotte 7 p.m.
Dallas at Atlanta 7:30 p.m.
Cleveland at Miami 8 p.m.
Phoenix at Chicago 8 p.m.
Philadelphia at Milwaukee 8:30 p.m.
Houston at Utah 9 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Buffalo at Pittsburgh 1 p.m.
Washington at New Jersey 1 p.m.
Winnipeg at Philadelphia 1 p.m.
Carolina at Toronto 7 p.m.
Montreal at Ottawa 7 p.m.
San Jose at N-Y Rangers 7 p.m.
Columbus at Nashville 8 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Arizona 8 p.m.
Boston at Vancouver 10 p.m.
Florida at Vegas 10 p.m.
Colorado at Los Angeles 10:30 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(3)Kansas at (1)Baylor 12 p.m.
(2)Gonzaga at (23)BYU 10 p.m.
UNLV at (4)San Diego St. 7:30 p.m.
Duquesne at (5)Dayton 2 p.m.
Virginia Tech at (6)Duke 8 p.m.
(8)Florida St. at NC State 4 p.m.
Florida at (10)Kentucky 6 p.m.
North Carolina at (11)Louisville 4 p.m.
(12)Villanova at Xavier 2:30 p.m.
Tennessee at (13)Auburn 12 p.m.
(14)Oregon at (24)Arizona 9 p.m.
(17)West Virginia at TCU 2 p.m.
UCLA at (18)Colorado 4 p.m.
(19)Marquette at Providence 12 p.m.
(22)Houston at Memphis 2 p.m.
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