STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Ioanna Chatzileonti had 15 points and 10 rebounds, Holly Kersgieter scored 19 points and eighth-seeded Kansas beat ninth-seeded Georgia Tech 77-58 t in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks’ 6-foot-6 junior center Taiyanna Jackson finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and two blocks to extend her a single-season school record to 92 blocks. Digna Strautmane scored 18 points to lead the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech’s Lotta-Maj Lahtinen averaged 11 points this season but was held to seven points on 3-for-12 shooting, and just 1 of 6 on 3s.
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Ashley Joens scored a season-high 36 points and third-seeded Iowa State rallied to beat No. 14 seed UT Arlington 78-71 in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament. The Mavericks were bidding to be the first 14-seed to ever win a game in the tournament and led by 12 in the first half before the Cyclones (27-6) came back. Emily Ryan made a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 64 and followed with a layup to give the Cyclones the lead. Joens hit a 3-pointer that gave Iowa State a 73-67 cushion with 1:43 left and that was enough for Iowa State to avoid the upset. Starr Jacobs finished with 19 points for the Mavericks (20-8).
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Andrew Jones scored 21 points, Marcus Carr beat the halftime buzzer with a shot from well beyond halfcourt to put Texas ahead for good, and the Longhorns beat Virginia Tech 81-73 for their first NCAA Tournament victory since 2014. The sixth-seeded Longhorns advance to a second-round East Region game Sunday against No. 3 seed Purdue. The Boilermakers trounced Yale 78-56 in the first round. Texas went 10 of 19 from 3-point range while ending a five-game NCAA Tournament skid. Sean Padulla led the Hokies with 19 points.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Mike Miles Jr. scored 21 points and ninth-seeded TCU got its first NCAA Tournament victory in 35 years, easily dispatching eighth-seeded Seton Hall 69-42 on Friday night. The Horned Frogs’ last tournament victory was in 1987 against Marshall, when coach Jamie Dixon was a senior at his alma mater. They haven’t had many opportunities since: This was their third appearance since 1988 and second in Dixon’s six seasons. Damion Baugh scored 14 points for TCU. The Horned Frogs will take on top-seeded Arizona on Sunday in a South Region second-round game. Jamir Harris and Myles Cale each scored 11 points for Seton Hall.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 20 points and set a dominating tone in the opening minutes for Texas Tech, which overwhelmed Montana State 97-62 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Red Raiders had one of the best-shooting games in the first round since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Bryson Williams also scored 20 points for Texas Tech, which shot 66.7% from the field, including making 12 of 20 3-pointers. Xavier Bishop led Montana State with 12 points. Texas Tech will play 11th-seeded Notre Dame in the second round.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Freshman Tyrese Hunter scored 23 points and Iowa State made itself at home in Milwaukee once again, topping No. 6 seed LSU 59-54 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Izaiah Brockington added 19 points as the 11th-seeded Cyclones got their first win in the NCAA tourney since 2017 — also in Milwaukee. They held the Tigers to 37% shooting and forced 19 turnovers, stopping a three-game slide. Tari Eason scored 18 points for LSU. The Tigers were playing their first game since coach Will Wade was fired amid allegations of NCAA violations. Next up for Iowa State is a second-round matchup with No. 3 seed Wisconsin.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed with former Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on a $10.75 million deal for next season, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract is pending a physical, which should be completed soon. Smith-Schuster wasted little time in announcing the move himself, tweeting to Chiefs fans: "Let’s Go!” The Chiefs have been searching for a high-profile wide receiver to take the pressure off Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce in the passing game.
UNDATED (AP) — Deshaun Watson is coming to Cleveland after all. A person familiar with the decision tells the AP that the quarterback has decided to waive his no-trade clause and accept a move to the Browns. Watson rejected the trade on Thursday, but the source says he had a change of heart and called the team on Friday. The Texans are receiving three first-round picks, along with a third- and fifth-rounder.
UNDATED (AP) — First baseman Luke Voit has been traded from the Yankees to the Padres for a minor league pitcher. The deal comes a day after New York completed a two-year contract with Anthony Rizzo. The 31-year-old right-handed hitter led the major leagues with 22 home runs during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when he hit .277 with 52 RBIs.
JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty will miss the start of the season and there’s no timetable for his return after he received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his ailing right shoulder. The Cardinals are hopeful Flaherty could be ready by May, but haven’t ruled out the possibility that he could need surgery. Fellow pitcher Alex Reyes has been diagnosed with a frayed labrum in his throwing shoulder. Reyes isn’t expected to make his season debut until late May or early June after receiving a stem cell injection on Wednesday. Flaherty’s injection is designed to aid the healing of a small tear. He will rest for the next couple of days, then won’t be allowed to throw for two weeks.
FRIDAY NCAA TOURNAMENT SCORES
NCAA First Round
SOUTH
Final Arizona 87 Wright St. 70
Final TCU 69 Seton Hall 42
Final Ohio St. 54 Loyola Chicago 41
Final Villanova 80 Delaware 60
Final Illinois 54 Chattanooga 53
Final Houston 82 UAB 68
MIDWEST
Final Iowa St. 59 LSU 54
Final Wisconsin 67 Colgate 60
Final Auburn 80 Jacksonville St. 61
Final Miami 68 Southern Cal 66
EAST
Final Purdue 78 Yale 56
Final Texas 81 Virginia Tech 73
WEST
Final Duke 78 Cal St.-Fullerton 61
Final Michigan St. 74 Davidson 73
Final Texas Tech 97 Montana St. 62
Final Notre Dame 78 Alabama 64