College Basketball
NEW YORK – Kenrich Williams had 25 points and 12 rebounds, and TCU routed Georgia Tech 88-56 in the NIT championship on Thursday night.
TCU opened with a 20-3 run on its way to the program’s first NIT title. Vlad Brodziansky scored 18 points for the Horned Frogs (24-15), and Alex Robinson had 10 points and 11 assists.
Williams was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Tadric Jackson led Georgia Tech (21-16) with 19 points. Josh Okogie had 12 points and six rebounds.
Golf
HUMBLE, Texas – Rickie Fowler shot an 8-under 64 for a one-shot lead over Sung Kang after the first round of the Houston Open on Thursday.
Fowler had his best round in six appearances at the tournament, topping a previous low score of 68. Fowler overcame chilly and damp conditions to jump to a hot start.
Fowler won last month at the Honda Classic and is trying to keep momentum going into the Masters next week. The Honda Classic win snapped a 13-month, 25-start drought for Fowler.
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – France’s Karine Icher shot a 5-under 67 to take an early lead before high winds shortened the opening day of the ANA Inspiration on Thursday.
Half of the field in the LPGA Tour’s first major of the year was still on the course when wild winds in the Coachella Valley forced an early halt to play. The first round will resume Friday morning.
Four players were one behind Icher, including Michelle Wie.
MLB
PEORIA, Ariz. – When a pack of bees swarmed the field, the Rockies and Padres didn’t seem to know what to do.
So they hit the deck.
In a bizarre scene at spring training Thursday, players from both teams went flat on the dirt when bees stormed the infield during the ninth inning of Colorado’s 10-5 win over San Diego.
Padres pitcher Trey Wingenter stepped off the mound when the horde hit, and after hesitating a moment, the 6-foot-7 right-hander dropped to a knee. Rockies batter Daniel Castro quickly did the same, and then Wingenter, Castro, plate umpire Alex Tosi and everyone else in the infield dropped flat on their stomachs. The broadcast picked up someone yelling, “Bees! Bees!”
Women’s College Basketball
DALLAS – Kelsey Plum had a historic season for Washington while Geno Auriemma did one of his best coaching jobs at UConn.
Both were overwhelming choices as The Associated Press women’s basketball Player and Coach of the Year in awards announced Thursday.
Plum broke the career NCAA scoring mark, topping Jackie Stiles’ 16-year-old record in style with a 57-point effort on her senior night.
Auriemma did laugh before the season at the notion his Huskies, who lost three All-Americans to graduation, would be undefeated this year. He thought there was no way that the team’s 75-game winning streak would continue that much longer.
Yet UConn met every challenge and enter the Final Four without a loss, winners of 111 straight games.
Associated Press
