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  • Top 25 roundup: Joel Foxwell’s 27 points help Portland upset No. 6 Gonzaga

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    (Photo credit: James Snook-Imagn Images)

    Joel Foxwell tied his career high with 27 points as host Portland upset No. 6 Gonzaga 87-80 on Wednesday night, handing the Bulldogs their first West Coast Conference loss of the season.

    James O’Donnell added 16 points off the bench, Cameron Williams scored 14 points despite battling foul trouble, Jermaine Ballisager Webb added 13 points and nine rebounds, and Garrett Nuckolls scored 11 for the Pilots (11-14, 4-8 WCC), who snapped a string of 20 straight losses in the series. Portland last beat Gonzaga on Jan. 9, 2014.

    Graham Ike led Gonzaga (22-2, 10-1) with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Mario Saint-Supery added 12 points and Davis Fogle scored 10.

    Foxwell, a freshman guard from Australia, might have bested his career high if not for leg cramps that limited him over the final five minutes. Still, he shot 11 of 18 from the field — including 3 of 8 from 3-point range — dished out a game-high eight assists and grabbed four rebounds.

    No. 5 Illinois 84, Northwestern 44

    Andrej Stojakovic scored 17 points to lead five Fighting Illini players in double figures as Illinois blitzed the Wildcats in Champaign, Ill., to earn its 12th straight win.

    Torrid long-range shooting (17 of 38) and effective ball movement boosted Illinois (20-3, 11-1 Big Ten). Ben Humrichous, Zvonimir Ivisic and Keaton Wagler each scored 13 points.

    Northwestern struggled to 29.2% shooting while falling 14 points shy of its previous season low. Tre Singleton paced Wildcats (10-13, 2-10) with eight points. Big Ten scoring leader Nick Martinelli managed four points on 2-for-10 shooting.

    No. 8 Houston 79, UCF 55

    Kingston Flemings scored 18 points as the Cougars cruised to a home win over the Knights in a Big 12 Conference tilt.

    Chris Cenac Jr. tallied a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Milos Uzan added 12 points for Houston (20-2, 8-1 Big 12), which won its third straight game.

    Riley Kugel led UCF (17-5, 6-4) with nine points. Themus Fulks, John Bol, Jamichael Stillwell and Jordan Burks all added eight points for UCF, which had its three-game winning streak snapped.

    Minnesota 76, No. 10 Michigan State 73

    Jaylen Crocker-Johnson recorded 22 points and seven rebounds and the Golden Gophers halted a seven-game slide with an impressive upset victory over the Spartans in Big Ten play at Minneapolis.

    Cade Tyson scored 17 points and Langston Reynolds added 14 points and eight assists as the Golden Gophers (11-12, 4-8 Big Ten) never trailed during the surprising takedown of the Spartans. Bobby Durkin had 13 points and eight rebounds and Isaac Asuma added 10 points for Minnesota, which got its first victory since Jan. 6.

    Coen Carr scored 16 points, Jordan Scott added 15 and Trey Fort had 12 on four 3-pointers for Michigan State (19-4, 9-3), which lost its second consecutive game. Jeremy Fears Jr. had 10 points and 11 assists for the Spartans.

    Oklahoma State 99, No. 16 BYU 92

    Anthony Roy scored a season-high 30 points and Jaylen Curry added 18 as the Cowboys upset the Cougars in Stillwater, Okla.

    The Cowboys (16-6, 4-5 Big 12) shot 54.7% from the field and forced 16 turnovers that resulted in 21 points. Oklahoma State’s Parsa Fallah added 13 points and seven rebounds. Vyctorius Miller, who didn’t take a shot in the first half, scored 14 in the second half for the Cowboys on 5-of-7 shooting from the field.

    AJ Dybantsa led the Cougars (17-5, 5-4) with 36 points, but he couldn’t keep BYU from losing its third straight game. Richie Saunders contributed 20 points and eight rebounds, and Robert Wright III put up 15 points.

    No. 20 Clemson 66, Stanford 64

    Nick Davidson scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the Tigers extended their Atlantic Coast Conference road winning streak to 13 games with a victory over the Cardinal.

    Davidson made two free throws to put Clemson (19-4, 9-1 ACC) ahead 64-62 with 23 seconds left. The Tigers maintained the lead after the Cardinal’s Ebuka Okorie missed a 3-point try with 7.1 seconds remaining. Ace Buckner added two free throws with 3.7 seconds left to help Clemson win for the 12th time in the past 13 games. Buckner finished with 11 points and Chase Thompson added a career-high 10 for the Tigers, who won despite not making a field goal in the final four minutes.

    Aidan Cammann led Stanford (14-9, 3-7) with a career-high 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Okorie added 18 points, and Oskar Giltay had 11 rebounds.

    No. 24 Louisville 76, Notre Dame 65

    A late first-half run and solid bench play led the Cardinals to a home win over the Fighting Irish.

    Isaac McKneely led the Cardinals (16-6, 6-4 ACC) with 13 points, hitting four 3-pointers. Sananda Fru, Ryan Conwell and Khani Rooths each had 12 points, and Rooths grabbed 12 rebounds. J’Vonne Hadley exited early due to an apparent aggravation of a back injury.

    Notre Dame (11-12, 2-8) got 18 points from Cole Certa but lost for the eighth time in nine games.

    –Field Level Media

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  • Women’s Top 25 roundup: BYU blows past No. 19 Texas Tech

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    (Photo credit: Mark Stewart / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

    Olivia Hamlin tallied 20 points off the bench on 9-of-15 shooting to lead BYU to a 73-61 upset of No. 19 Texas Tech on Wednesday evening in Provo, Utah.

    After the Red Raiders opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, the Cougars (15-4, 4-3 Big 12) scored the next seven points, led 25-16 after one quarter and never trailed the rest of the way. Delaney Gibb scored 18 and Lara Rohkohl added 15 and eight boards for BYU, which shot 47.3% from the floor and 44.4% from outside the arc.

    Texas Tech (19-2, 6-2) has lost two straight games since its 19-0 start. Snudda Collins (17 points) and Bailey Maupin (11) were the only two Red Raiders in double figures as the team shot 33.3% from the floor.

    The Red Raiders had 21 turnovers which the Cougars turned into 24 points and were nearly doubled up in paint points (36-20).

    No. 3 UCLA 96, Purdue 48

    Gabriela Jaquez (25 points) led five players in double figures as the Bruins doubled up the Boilermakers in Los Angeles.

    Lauren Betts added 16 points and 10 rebounds and Kiki Rice had 15 points and 10 rebounds for UCLA (18-1, 8-0 Big Ten), which ran its winning streak to 12. The Bruins made 53.7% of their shots, 13 of 22 3-pointers (59.1%), racked up 16 steals and forced 23 turnovers (32 points off).

    Nya Smith led Purdue (10-9, 2-6) with 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting while Avery Gordon added 13 off the bench. The Boilermakers were outscored in all four quarters and by 12-plus points in three of those.

    No. 14 Baylor 73, UCF 48

    The Bears’ Taliah Scott posted 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting in a comfortable victory over the Knights in Waco, Texas.

    Baylor (18-3, 7-1 Big 12) sprinted out to a 14-4 lead early on, then gradually added to its advantage before attaining its largest lead of the game, 25 points, with the game’s final score.

    Darianna Littlepage-Buggs chipped in with 13 points and 18 rebounds. UCF (10-9, 2-6), paced by Khyala Ngodu’s 11 points and 12 rebounds and Kristol Ayson’s 10 points off the bench, shot just 30% for the game.

    No. 22 West Virginia 53, Arizona State 43

    Kierra Wheeler’s 16 points helped the Mountaineers survive a game of wild swings in a Big 12 win over the Sun Devils in Morgantown, W. Va.

    West Virginia (16-4, 6-2) built a 10-point advantage in the first half, then fell behind 37-29 with a little more than a minute left in the third quarter. The Mountaineers chipped that deficit down to three by the end of the period, then outscored Arizona State 19-6 the rest of the way.

    Sydney Shaw added 11 points and Gia Cooke had 10 for West Virginia. The Sun Devils (17-3, 4-3) were paced by 15 points apiece from McKinna Brackens and Gabby Elliott.

    Wisconsin 63, No. 24 Nebraska 60

    Gift Uchenna scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Badgers upset the Cornhuskers in Madison, Wis.

    The Badgers (13-7, 5-4 Big Ten) built a 17-15 lead after one quarter before pressing their advantage to 38-25 at the half. A strong second-half push from the Cornhuskers came up short. Nebraska was powered by Amiah Hargrove’s 15 points, Eliza Maupin’s 13 points and 13 rebounds and Britt Prince’s 11 points.

    Nebraska (14-5, 3-5) carried a two-point lead into the fourth quarter, and from there the teams went back and forth. The Cornhuskers held a 60-57 lead with 2:12 to play before Kyrah Daniels, who scored 19 points, hit a tying 3-pointer. Daniels then collected an offensive rebound and absorbed a foul, after which she hit a free throw to regain the lead. After a Nebraska turnover, Uchenna provided the final margin with her layup.

    No. 25 Washington 81, Penn State 65

    Sayvia Sellers scored a game-high 24 points to lead the Huskies to a win over the Nittany Lions in Seattle.

    Avery Howell paired 13 points with 12 boards for her fourth double-double of the season for Washington (15-4, 5-3 Big Ten), which has won three straight games since a two-game skid. The Huskies led by 10 after one quarter before trailing early in the third quarter, requiring an extended 16-5 run to extend its advantage back to 11 late in the stanza.

    Gracie Merkle tallied 19 points for Penn State (7-13, 0-9), which has lost nine straight and 12 of 13 since a 6-1 start. The Nittany Lions forced 14 turnovers while committing eight but were outrebounded 49-29.

    –Field Level Media

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  • Pacers, Magic meet with work to do while void of stars

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    (Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

    The visiting Orlando Magic will look to prolong the Indiana Pacers’ dreadful season on Wednesday afternoon as the teams close out 2025 at Indianapolis.

    Just six months removed from being a win away from an NBA championship, the Pacers have the league’s worst record at 6-27 as the close of a roller-coaster year approaches.

    Crushing injuries — including Tyrese Haliburton’s torn Achilles in the NBA Finals and Obi Toppin’s foot fracture — have forced Indiana to use 24 players this season.

    The Pacers have lost nine consecutive games and a loss on Wednesday would match the franchise’s fifth-longest losing streak over a single season. That mark of futility was set across the final 10 games of the 2021-22 season.

    In its most recent game Monday, head coach Rick Carlisle’s group trailed by as many as 28 points before outscoring the Houston Rockets 41-21 in the fourth quarter of a 126-119 road loss. In a woeful campaign, the veteran head coach is looking for small victories.

    ‘There are some things that are positives throughout games. The problem that we’ve got to tackle is the inconsistency,’ Carlisle said. ‘The middle part of the game (Monday) we were very poor. The fourth quarter was the only quarter we won in the game.

    ‘As good as it felt to fight back, you’re not going to win games having to fight back every night. It’s a difficult league. A lot of very good teams. Another one on Wednesday.’

    Pascal Siakam, who has missed just one game this season, leads the team with 23.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Bennedict Mathurin adds 18.3 points and Andrew Nembhard chips in 17.1 with 6.7 assists.

    The Magic, who will host the Pacers in a rematch Sunday, is another team searching for consistency as 2026 draws near. Orlando has alternated wins and losses across their last six games and blew a 21-point lead on Monday in a 107-106 road setback against the Toronto Raptors.

    Although his team is in the Eastern Conference playoff picture as the regular season’s halfway point nears, Orlando head coach Jamahl Mosley wants to see his group fix a pair of problems ahead of Wednesday’s meeting.

    ‘It’s been the same thing that’s been kicking our butt for the last five games: offensive rebounds and transition points,’ said Mosley, whose team allowed 21 Toronto offensive boards and was outscored 30-6 in fast break points on Monday.

    ‘Those are the small details of the game that get you beat in a one-point game.’

    Orlando has tried to weather the storm without leading scorer Franz Wagner (22.7 points), who went down with a high-ankle sprain on Dec.7. Jalen Suggs (15.4 points) has missed seven straight games with a left hip contusion.

    The Magic are relying on third-year guard Anthony Black, who is averaging career-highs of 15.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

    ‘Good game or bad game, you’ve got to hop on the plane, go to the next city and flush it,’ Black said. ‘You’ve got to get ready for the next game. It’s a long season.’

    –Field Level Media

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  • UCF roars past VMI to extend winning streak

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    (Photo credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images)

    Jamichael Stillwell produced 21 points, 14 rebounds and five assists as UCF cruised to their sixth straight win Saturday afternoon, hammering the VMI 82-57 in Orlando, Fla.

    A senior transfer from Milwaukee, Stillwell helped the Knights (7-1) shake off a slow start by going 8 of 12 from the field and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line in his third double-double in the past four games.

    Jordan Burks collected 14 points and five rebounds, while Themus Fulks had 11 points, five assists and five rebounds as UCF shot 40.0% and went just 4 of 30 (13.3%) from deep.

    The Knights outscored VMI 54-16 on points in the paint and led by as many as 29.

    Wrapping up a four-game road trip through Florida, the Keydets (3-7) dropped their sixth straight contest and shot 27.9% from the floor.

    Mario Tatum Jr. led VMI with 19 points, all in the first half.

    The visitors started quickly and led 11-5 in just under five minutes behind a 3-pointer by Mason Hagedorn. VMI was 4 of 8 from long range inside the first nine minutes, stretching the advantage to 19-13 on Tatum’s 3-pointer.

    UCF found its stride in the final seven minutes of the half, taking the lead 23-22 on Stillwell’s layup at 7:10 and getting a dunk from Devan Cambridge and a Burks layup to make it 27-22 with 5:57 left.

    UCF raced out on a 28-10 run to finish the half and led 45-32 at the break.

    Stillwell the way for UCF in the first half with 12 points, eight rebounds and two steals as the Knights went made 44.4% from the floor and led 30-13 in rebounding.

    Tatum, a Keydets freshman guard scoring 10.8 points per game, paced the way in the half by netting 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range.

    In the second half, UCF increased to lead to 61-41 with 9:52 remaining on John Bol’s putback and breezed to the 25-point victory.

    –Field Level Media

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  • NBA roundup: Luka Doncic burns Mavs, Lakers sweep NBA Cup group

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    (Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images)

    Luka Doncic scored 35 points and dished out 11 assists against his former team and the Los Angeles Lakers finished perfect in NBA Cup group play with a 129-119 victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Friday.

    Austin Reaves scored 38 points and grabbed eight rebounds, Deandre Ayton paired 17 points with eight rebounds, and LeBron James had 13 points and seven assists in his fourth game of the season after returning from sciatica.

    Doncic improved to 3-0 against Dallas after his surprising trade from the Mavericks in February. Los Angeles, which had already advanced to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup, finished 4-0 in West Group B.

    P.J. Washington amassed 22 points and nine rebounds and Anthony Davis added 12 points for the Mavericks in his first game on his former home court after he was traded to Dallas in the Doncic deal. He was making his return after missing the previous 14 games with a calf injury.

    Thunder 123, Suns 119

    Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points to help Oklahoma City record its 11th consecutive win, a home victory over Phoenix in an NBA Cup game that saw both teams advance.

    The win sends the Thunder to the knockout round of the NBA Cup after they went 4-0 in West Group A. The Suns, who lost for just the third time in 12 games overall, fell to 3-1 in NBA Cup action. However, they still earned a wild-card spot as the Western Conference’s best second-place team, so they will join the Thunder in the knockout round.

    Oklahoma City also improved to 19-1, becoming the fifth team in NBA history to win at least 19 games in the season’s first 20. After capturing the first nine games of the winning streak by 13 or more points, Oklahoma City has now won back-to-back tight games after beating Minnesota by eight on Wednesday.

    Spurs 139, Nuggets 136

    Devin Vassell scored 18 of his season-high 35 points in the fourth quarter and visiting San Antonio beat Denver to win West Group C and advance to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup.

    Julian Champagnie scored 25 points — also a season high — and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Spurs. San Antonio sealed the win my making 7 of 8 free throws in the last minute.

    Jamal Murray put up 37 points for Denver, which went 2-2 in NBA Cup play. Nikola Jokic had 21 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists, and Cameron Johnson contributed a season-high 28 points.

    Hawks 130, Cavaliers 123

    Jalen Johnson produced his second triple-double of the season and Atlanta held off visiting Cleveland as both teams failed to advance in the NBA Cup.

    Johnson finished with 29 points, shooting 9-for-18 from the floor, to go with 12 rebounds and 12 assists. Atlanta has won three of its last four, while Cleveland has lost two in a row. Both teams finished 2-2 in East Group A and were eliminated from the NBA Cup. Nickeil Alexander-Walker finished with 30 points and Zaccharie Risacher had 14 points.

    Cleveland was led by Donovan Mitchell with 42 points, his 21st career game with 40-plus points. The Cavaliers got 20 points and 14 rebounds from Evan Mobley and 15 points and 10 assists from Darius Garland. Former Hawk De’Andre Hunter scored 16 in his return to Atlanta.

    Knicks 118, Bucks 109

    Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 37 points, helping New York earn a victory over visiting Milwaukee and advance to the NBA Cup knockout stage.

    Josh Hart finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists and Miles McBride scored 19 for the Knicks, who won their third straight and finished atop East Group C with a 3-1 record. Mikal Bridges added 14 for New York, while Karl-Anthony Towns totaled nine points and 10 rebounds.

    Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 30 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists in his return from a four-game absence caused by a thigh injury. Kyle Kuzma scored 20, AJ Green added 18, Ryan Rollins put up 13 and Myles Turner had 10 for Milwaukee, which dropped its seventh straight game.

    76ers 115, Nets 103

    Tyrese Maxey totaled 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the short-handed Philadelphia never trailed in a victory over Brooklyn in New York. The Sixers were without Joel Embiid (knee), VJ Edgecombe (calf), Kelly Oubre Jr. (knee) and Trendon Watford (groin).

    Jared McCain added 20 off Philadelphia’s bench. Rookie Egor Demin posted career bests of 23 points and nine rebounds for Brooklyn.

    Both teams entered the game having already been eliminated from advancing in the NBA Cup. They finished tied at the bottom of East Group B at 1-3.

    Hornets 123, Bulls 116

    Brandon Miller’s season-high 27 points and Miles Bridges’ 22 points carried Charlotte to an NBA Cup victory over visiting Chicago, a result that snapped the Hornets’ seven-game losing streak.

    Reserve Collin Sexton poured in 21 points, LaMelo Ball had 16 points and eight assists and Kon Knueppel added 12 points for the Hornets, who finished 1-3 in East Group C of the NBA Cup.

    Coby White and Josh Giddey each scored 25 points to lead the Bulls. Chicago also went 1-3 in NBA Cup play and has lost three of its past four games overall.

    Magic 112, Pistons 109

    Desmond Bane poured in 37 points and grabbed eight rebounds as visiting Orlando edged Detroit to advance to the knockout round of the NBA Cup.

    Orlando finished 4-0 in the East Group B of the event and won for the fifth time in its past six games. The Pistons, who went 2-2 in NBA Cup action, lost for the second time in a row following their 13-game winning streak.

    Franz Wagner had 21 points and seven rebounds for the Magic. Cade Cunningham carried the Pistons with 39 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Cunningham was fouled with 4.7 seconds left but missed the first free throw and then intentionally missed the second. The Pistons got the rebound, but Duncan Robinson’s last-ditch 3-point try was blocked by Black.

    Pacers 119, Wizards 86

    Pascal Siakam amassed 24 points and 11 rebounds as Indiana cruised to a win over Washington in Indianapolis. Both teams finished 1-3 in East Group A of the NBA Cup.

    Bennedict Mathurin scored 20 points and matched his season high with four assists for the Pacers, who led by as many as 33 and won for the third time in their first 19 games.

    Alex Sarr led Washington with 24 points. The Wizards were unable to carry the momentum from Tuesday, when they snapped a 14-game losing streak with a home win over the Atlanta Hawks.

    Jazz 128, Kings 119

    Keyonte George scored 31 points, Lauri Markkanen added 28 and Utah avoided a winless round of pool play in the NBA Cup with a victory over Sacramento in Salt Lake City.

    Utah, which finished 1-3 in West Group A, snapped a four-game skid. The Jazz used a 12-2 run early in the second quarter to take a lead they never relinquished.

    Zach LaVine hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, part of a 6-of-9 period on his way to a game-high 34 points for the Kings. Sacramento ended up 0-4 in NBA Cup action.

    Grizzlies 112, Clippers 107

    Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 24 points and Zach Edey grabbed 19 rebounds to help Memphis rally to a win in Inglewood, Calif., in the NBA Cup finale for both teams.

    Vince Williams Jr. added 16 points and Jaylen Wells and backup Santi Aldama scored 13 points apiece as Memphis recovered from a 16-point third-quarter deficit. The Grizzlies went 3-1 in West Group B play but didn’t advance to the knockout round. Los Angeles went 2-2.

    Kawhi Leonard scored 39 points on 15-of-24 shooting but couldn’t prevent the Clippers from losing for the 12th time in the past 14 games. James Harden had 23 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds for Los Angeles. Kris Dunn added 11 points, seven rebounds and five steals, and John Collins logged 10 points and seven rebounds.

    –Field Level Media

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  • UCF topples Pitt to kick off Legends Classic

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    (Photo credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images)

    Riley Kugel and Themus Fulks each scored 18 points, Jamichael Stillwell had 12 points and 11 rebounds and UCF extended its winning streak to four with a 77-67 victory over Pitt on Thursday night in Daytona Beach, Fla.

    Fulks made three 3-pointers and dished out four assists as UCF (5-1) successfully debuted at the annual Legends Classic and earned the program’s first-ever win against Pitt (4-2). The Knights also won for the fourth time in five visits to the Ocean Center — located fewer than 60 miles from the Knights’ campus in Orlando — dating back to 1997.

    Jordan Burks, a transfer from Georgetown, chipped in nine points and four rebounds for UCF.

    UCF entered as one of the nation’s top teams in three-point shooting percentage (47.7), but the Knights finished just 6 of 18 from behind the arc. The Knights benefited from 24 second-chance points and a 46-28 scoring edge in the paint.

    Pitt made 18 of 21 free throws but converted only 7 of 27 3-pointers.

    Cameron Corhen posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Panthers and Barry Dunning Jr. had 14 points off the bench, making all six of his free throws. Damarco Minor contributed 14 points, punctuated by a late flurry of 3-pointers that helped keep the Panthers close. He added four rebounds and four assists.

    UCF opened the second half on a 15-3 run for a 53-39 lead with 13:22 remaining. Stillwell had back-to-back baskets, 7-foot-2 center John Bol added an offensive putback and a lane jumper and Carmelo Pacheco sank a 3-pointer to highlight the decisive stretch.

    Kugel was whistled for his fourth foul with just more than 11 minutes left and UCF ahead 55-44. Pitt’s Brandin Cummings, who entered averaging 13.8 points per game, completed a three-point play to get on the scoresheet, but UCF countered with a quick 7-0 run to make it 62-47.

    Fulks made an open three as time ran down in the first half, lifting UCF to a 38-36 advantage at intermission. The opening 20 minutes featured eight lead changes and four ties as Pitt established a rhythm inside with Corhen, who had 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting.

    –Field Level Media

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  • WNBA MVP to be announced Sunday; five finalists revealed

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    (Photo credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images)

    The WNBA announced the five finalists for the Most Valuable Player award Friday in what’s expected to be a close decision.

    Three-time MVP A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces joined Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray and Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell in the top five in voting.

    The league will announced the winner Sunday morning. It has been viewed as a three-woman race among Wilson, Collier and Thomas.

    Wilson, vying for her fourth WNBA MVP award in eight seasons in the league, also won it in 2020, 2022 and 2024. She helped the Aces end the regular season on a 16-game winning streak, averaging 26.1 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 blocks per game in that run.

    In 40 games this season, she averaged a league-high 23.4 points plus 10.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Wilson also won co-Defensive Player of the Year alongside Minnesota’s Alanna Smith this week; Wilson ranked second in the league in blocks (92) and third in steals (64).

    Collier, 28, was last year’s Defensive Player of the Year and the 2025 All-Star Game MVP. She became the second woman in league history to post a 50-40-90 shooting season, following Elena Delle Donne in 2019; Collier finished the year shooting 53.1 percent from the field, 40.3 percent from 3-point range and 90.6 percent at the foul line.

    Collier averaged 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals per contest over 33 games.

    Thomas, who received MVP votes four of the last five seasons and was runner-up in 2023, averaged 15.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and a league- and career-high 9.2 assists over 39 games.

    Mitchell played all 44 games for the Fever and averaged 20.2 points — third in the league to only Wilson and Collier — and 3.4 assists.

    Gray put up 18.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in 42 games for the Dream. She finished third in voting for the Most Improved Player award.

    –Field Level Media

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  • Valkyries G Veronica Burton named Most Improved Player

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    (Photo credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images)

    Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton was named WNBA Most Improved Player by a landslide margin on Monday.

    Burton received 68 of 72 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters after posting career highs of 11.9 points, 6.0 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals while starting all 44 games for the expansion franchise.

    Last season, Burton averaged 3.1 points, 1.9 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 0.5 steals in 31 games for the Connecticut Sun. According to the WNBA, she is the first player to increase her averages by at least five rebounds, two assists and two rebounds from one season to the next among players to compete in a minimum of 30 games both seasons.

    Burton, 25, helped Golden State (23-21) become the first WNBA expansion team to the reach the playoffs.

    Azura Stevens (two votes) of the Los Angeles Sparks, Allisha Gray (one) of the Atlanta Dream and Natisha Hiedeman (one) of the Minnesota Lynx also received votes.

    Burton started just 20 games over her first three seasons before breaking out this year.

    Burton was a first-round pick of the Dallas Wings in 2022 and averaged 2.6 points as a rookie and 2.4 points in 2023. She started just once in 31 games for Connecticut last season.

    She was selected in the expansion draft by the Valkyries and things came together. She made 61 3-pointers after making a combined 38 over her first three seasons, and she racked up 50 steals and 27 blocked shots on the defensive side.

    According to the WNBA, Burton will receive $5,150 and a trophy in recognition of the achievement.

    –Field Level Media

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