General Sports 3d Briefing
×NCAA Basketball & College Sports
Duke women espn.com rallied past Louisville 70-65 in overtime to win their second straight ACC tournament title. UNI espn.com defeated UIC 84-69 to win the Missouri Valley Conference tournament and clinch their first NCAA bid since 2016. Georgia Tech espn.com fired men's basketball coach Damon Stoudamire after three seasons. Boston College espn.com ended Earl Grant's five-year run with his dismissal. UConn espn.com fell to Marquette 68-62 after coach Danny Hurley was ejected in the final seconds. Arkansas espn.com gave John Calipari his 900th career victory with an 88-84 overtime win over Missouri. Vanderbilt espn.com lost 89-78 to Ole Miss in the SEC quarters after head coach Shea Ralph was ejected for arguing with officials. Miami (Ohio) espn.com capped a perfect 31-0 season with an overtime win over Ohio. St. Bonaventure espn.com is expected to see head coach Mark Schmidt retire after this season. UNC espn.com will miss star freshman Caleb Wilson due to injury as tournament stakes rise.
International Sports & Competitions
India bbc.com claimed their third consecutive white-ball trophy with a dominant T20 World Cup title win. Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo bbc.com regained the world half-marathon record in Lisbon. England's men bbc.com won their Hockey World Cup qualification tournament with a 4-1 victory over Pakistan. Italy bbc.com finally broke a 33-year drought by defeating England in rugby for their first-ever win over the Red Roses. Scotland bbc.com delivered arguably their best performance in 40 years to keep alive their Six Nations title hopes. Ireland bbc.com kept slim Six Nations hopes alive with a bonus-point victory over Wales in Dublin. France bbc.com face Scotland in a potential Grand Slam decider as the championship heads to a thrilling final day. England bbc.com suffered historic defeat to Italy, prompting questions about their playing style and leadership. Wales bbc.com aimed to have the last laugh against Ireland after being ridiculed by Irish pundits.
Combat Sports & MMA
Charles Oliveira bbc.com dominated Max Holloway from start to finish to win the BMF title by unanimous decision at UFC 26 in Las Vegas. Ilia Topuria espn.com will face Justin Gaethje in a lightweight title bout headlining the UFC's White House event on June 14. Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane will vie for the interim heavyweight championship on the same card. Dana White espn.com said Jon Jones was "never ever" in his mind for the White House card. Tom Aspinall bbc.com signed with Eddie Hearn after seeing Conor Benn secure a reported £11m one-fight deal. Francis Ngannou espn.com is a free agent after his release by the PFL. Jai Opetaia bbc.com will lose his IBF cruiserweight title if he proceeds with a Zuffa Boxing fight. Naoya Inoue espn.com and Junto Nakatani are set for a May 2 Tokyo Dome clash for Inoue's undisputed junior featherweight title.
Winter Sports & Paralympics
Russia's Varvara Voronchikhina bbc.com won her nation's first medal at the Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics with downhill bronze. Italy's Emanuel Perathoner bbc.com claimed Paralympic gold in snowboard cross after a devastating knee injury and transition to Para-sport. Iran bbc.com will not compete at the Winter Paralympics as their sole athlete cannot travel safely to Italy. Great Britain's wheelchair curlers bbc.com held their nerve to beat USA and stay in contention for a semi-final spot. Team GB's mixed doubles pair bbc.com lost to China after the mixed team was narrowly edged out by Canada in Cortina. Charlotte Bankes bbc.com claimed victory in the women's snowboard cross at a World Cup event in Erzurum, Turkey.
Tennis & Individual Sports
Sonay Kartal bbc.com saved a match point and took a medical timeout before battling to a 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7-2) victory over Emma Navarro at Indian Wells. Luke Littler bbc.com beat 2022 UK Open winner Danny Noppert to reach the semi-finals in Minehead. Luke Humphries bbc.com was beaten 10-6 by Danny Noppert in the UK Open quarters. Hungary's Panna Udvardy bbc.com says she was sent "disturbing" messages including a picture of a gun, warning her family would be harmed unless she lost a match. British doubles player Henry Patten bbc.com described his escape from Dubai amid Middle East conflict, witnessing explosions and fighter jets. Jack Draper bbc.com says he no longer has "any fear" around the arm injury that plagued him for eight months as he prepares to defend his Indian Wells title.
Rugby Union & League
Leicester Tigers bbc.com overpowered defending champions Bath to set up a Premiership Rugby Cup final meeting with Exeter at Welford Road. Exeter bbc.com scored four tries to beat Northampton Saints 31-14 and reach the Premiership Cup final. Hull KR bbc.com got their Super League season up and running with a 32-6 victory at winless Huddersfield Giants. Wigan Warriors bbc.com maintained their perfect start by running in four tries in 14 minutes to overpower Toulouse Olympique. Warrington Wolves bbc.com held off a spirited York Knights side to maintain their 100% start to the Super League season. Saracens bbc.com moved back to the top of the Premiership Women's Rugby table with a 43-26 win at Harlequins, thanks to May Campbell's three tries. May Campbell scored three tries as she helped Saracens back to the top of the Premiership Women's Rugby table.
Other Notable Sports
Brett Randell bbc.com became the first bowler in 254-year first-class cricket history to take five wickets in five balls. Tadej Pogacar bbc.com soloed to victory to win the Strade Bianche for a record fourth time. Arvid Lindblad bbc.com said he "showed people a bit of what I am here to do" after finishing eighth on his F1 debut at the Australian Grand Prix. Victor Wembanyama bbc.com helped the San Antonio Spurs make a 25-point comeback against the Los Angeles Clippers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bbc.com moved within two games of breaking a decades-old NBA record as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Golden State Warriors. Thomas Detry espn.com shares the LIV Golf lead with Jon Rahm after travel assistance from the Spanish star. Ross Whyte bbc.com and Fay Henderson will make their World Curling Championship debuts after completing three successive Scottish titles. Fred Kerley bbc.com was banned for two years for an anti-doping whereabouts violation.