College Basketball
NEW YORK – George Washington won its first National Invitation Tournament championship, getting 18 points from Kevin Larsen and pulling away in the second half to beat Valparaiso 76-60 on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
Patricio Garino had 14 points, Joe McDonald added 13 and the fourth-seeded Colonials (28-10) set a school record for wins in a season with a dominant performance over the final 20 minutes.
Tyler Cavanaugh, selected the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, scored 12 points.
HOUSTON – Congratulations, you made March Madness.
Oh, wait a second. Not really.
The NCAA acknowledged yet another Selection Sunday foul-up, this one involving sending a text message to staff at South Carolina, notifying the Gamecocks that they had made the NCAA Tournament.
Well, not exactly.
The Gamecocks were one of the last four teams left out.
The NCAA was already being ridiculed for allowing its bracket to be revealed via social media while the two-hour CBS selection show was ongoing.
Golf
HOUSTON – Charley Hoffman birdied half the holes on the Golf Club of Houston course Thursday and had just a single bogey to shoot an 8-under-par 64 and take the first-round lead of the Shell Houston Open.
Hoffman birdied the first four holes of his back nine, then added another birdie on No. 8. That broke him out of what had been a four-way tie.
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Azahara Munoz bogeyed the par-5 18th hole in breezy afternoon conditions Thursday at the ANA Inspiration to drop into a tie for the first-round lead with Ai Miyazato.
Munoz and Miyazato shot 5-under 67 in the first major championship of the year. Miyazato played in the morning session before the wind picked up at Mission Hills.
NFL
ASHBURN, Va. – Tight end Vernon Davis says he is heading to the Washington Redskins as a free agent.
Davis tweeted Thursday: “I’M COMING HOME. Let’s do this, (at)Redskins.”
Vernon Davis has played 10 seasons in the NFL and twice was a Pro Bowler. He spent his first 9 ½ seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, then was traded to the Denver Broncos in November and won a championship.
Davis, who turned 32 in January, had a combined 38 catches for 395 yards and no touchdowns last season.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – After months of trade talk and speculation, Colin Kaepernick is still on San Francisco’s roster and due a hefty payday.
The quarterback’s $11.9 million 2016 contract became guaranteed at 1 p.m. local time Thursday when the 49ers kept him on the roster.
While potential new teams for Kaepernick – Denver had been considered a serious suitor given the retirement of Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler’s departure to Houston in free agency – might ask him to restructure his current deal, Kaepernick wouldn’t have to accept anything less than the $11.9 million.
New coach Chip Kelly said he had spoken recently to Kaepernick and was hopeful the mobile quarterback would still be on San Francisco’s roster when the offseason program begins this coming Monday.
Associated Press
