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FINAL FOUR-SYRACUSE-WASHINGTON
Syracuse women pound Washington 80-59, reach NCAA final
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Alexis Peterson scored 18 points and Brittney Sykes added 17 to help Syracuse roll past Washington 80-59 and into their first women’s national championship game.
The Orange (30-7) will face UConn, the three-time defending champions, Tuesday night in Indianapolis.
And they made it look almost as easy the Huskies, who set a semifinal record with a 29-point victory over Pac-12 champion Oregon State in the early game Sunday.
Washington (26-11) was led by Talia Walton, who had 29 points and made a Final Four-record eight 3-pointers. The previous record of six was set by Katie Steding in the 1990 title game and matched in 2013 by Antonita Slaughter.
Kelsey Plum, the nation’s No. 3 scorer, had 17 points.
Syracuse took a 23-12 lead after one quarter, extended the lead to 39-20 midway through the second quarter and never let the Huskies get within single digits again.
FINAL FOUR-OREGON ST-UCONN
Tuck and Stewart lead UConn back to the title game
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Morgan Tuck scored 21 points and Breanna Stewart added 16 to help UConn rout Oregon State 80-51 in record fashion Sunday night in the women’s Final Four.
The Huskies are one victory away from a fourth consecutive national championship fulfilling Stewart’s goal. A feat never accomplished before in women’s basketball.
If UConn does win on Tuesday night coach Geno Auriemma will have an 11th national championship moving him past vaunted UCLA men’s basketball coach John Wooden for the most all time.
The 29-point victory was the biggest margin of victory in women’s Final Four history, surpassing the 28-point win by Tennessee over Arkansas in 1998. It was UConn’s 74th consecutive victory, the second-longest winning streak in NCAA and school history.
ABBY WAMBACH-ARREST
Retired soccer star Abby Wambach arrested for DUI in Oregon
Retired World Cup soccer champion Abby Wambach was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence.
Portland police Sgt. Peter Simpson said in a statement Sunday that a sergeant stopped the 35-year-old Saturday night after she reportedly ran a red light in her Range Rover near downtown.
Simpson says Wambach failed field sobriety tests and was arrested. He says she also failed a breath test at the police precinct.
She was booked into Multnomah County Jail early Sunday on investigation of driving under the influence. Jail booking records show she was released Sunday on her own recognizance.
Wambach, a winner of Olympic and FIFA world player of the year titles, retired from the U.S. women’s national soccer team at the end of last year.
GYM-PACIFIC RIMS
World gymnastics champ Biles begins Olympic prep at Pac-Rims
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Three-time world all-around gymnastics champion Simone Biles will begin her preparations for the Summer Olympics at the Pacific Rim Championships in suburban Seattle next weekend.
Biles headlines the six-woman U.S. team that will compete at the XFINITY Arena in Everett, Washington, on April 9.
Three-time Olympic medalist Aly Raisman, seeking a return to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this summer, will also compete for the Americans. Biles and Raisman will be joined by Maggie Nichols and Brenna Dowell, members of the U.S. team that rolled to a team gold at the 2015 world championships, and Laurie Hernandez and Ashton Locklear.
The three-day event begins with the men’s team and all-around competition on April 8, the women’s all-around and team competition on April 9 and the individual event finals on April 10.
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