Reuters Sports News Summary
Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
SEC tournament roundup: No. 10 Oklahoma downs No. 12 Kentucky
Raegan Beers had 20 points and 11 rebounds and No. 10 Oklahoma defeated No. 12 Kentucky 69-65 in the SEC tournament quarterfinals Friday afternoon in Greenville, S.C. Payton Verhulst scored 16 and Sahara Williams had 13 for the fifth-seeded Sooners (25-6), who have won nine straight games going into their Saturday semifinal game against No. 5 and top-seeded South Carolina, which defeated Vanderbilt earlier Friday.
Tennis-Svitolina delivers 'little wins' for Ukraine with Indian Wells victory
Ukrainian Elina Svitolina thanked the Indian Wells crowd for their support of her tennis and her country after beating American Ashlyn Krueger 6-1 7-6(8) 6-3 in the second round on Friday. Svitolina was cheered on by the fans despite playing an American and soaked in the applause after converting her ninth match point under the lights on a cold night in the California desert.
ACC tournament roundup: NC State edges Georgia Tech, faces North Carolina in semifinals
Aziaha James made two free throws with seven seconds left and No. 7 North Carolina State escaped with a 73-72 victory over Georgia Tech in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament Friday at Greensboro, N.C. The Yellow Jackets failed to get off a shot on the final possession.
Big Ten tournament roundup: No. 2 USC, Michigan advance to semifinals
JuJu Watkins produced 31 points and 10 rebounds as second-ranked and top-seeded Southern California held on for an 84-79 victory over ninth-seeded Indiana in Big Ten tournament quarterfinal play Friday afternoon in Indianapolis. The Big Ten's Player of the Year hit 10 of 19 shots from the field and 10 of 13 at the line. First-team all-Big Ten forward Kiki Iriafen added 21 points and 10 rebounds for the top-seeded Trojans (27-2), who advanced to face Michigan in Saturday's first semifinal. USC beat the Wolverines 78-58 on Dec. 29 in Los Angeles.
NBA roundup: Nikola Jokic goes for 31-22-21 in OT win over Suns
Nikola Jokic produced 31 points, a career-high 22 assists and 21 rebounds as the host Denver Nuggets rallied after losing a 21-point lead to beat the Phoenix Suns 149-141 in overtime on Friday. Jokic logged the first 30-20-20 stat line in NBA history. He notched his 29th triple-double of the season and 159th of his career with a rebound less than two minutes into the second half.
Spring training roundup: Red Sox mash Marlins 20-5
Trevor Story hit two of Boston's six homers and the Red Sox cruised to 20-5 win over the Miami Marlins on Thursday in a spring training game at Fort Myers, Fla. Boston scored in each of the eight innings that it came to the plate, topped by a six-run third inning that included homers from Story and Alex Bregman.
NHL roundup: Connor Bedard, Blackhawks top Utah in OT
Blackhawks star Connor Bedard ended a seven-game point drought, and his goal 3:10 into overtime capped a two-point night as Chicago beat the visiting Utah Hockey Club 4-3 on Friday. Last year's Calder Trophy winner for top rookie also had an assist as Chicago extended its points streak to four games (3-0-1). Wyatt Kaiser, Ilya Mikheyev and Frank Nazar all scored in the second period to give the Blackhawks a 3-1 lead heading into the third.
Tennis-Top seed Zverev stunned by Griekspoor at Indian Wells
Tallon Griekspoor upset top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6 7-6(5) 7-6(4) in a marathon second round clash at Indian Wells on Friday. The Dutchman collapsed on the court after converting his sixth match point to end an absorbing three hour, seven minute affair under sunny skies on Stadium One court.
Report: Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (elbow) undergoing tests
New York Yankees ace right-hander Gerrit Cole is undergoing diagnostic tests on his throwing elbow, MLB Network reported on Friday. The six-time All-Star missed the first few months of the season with elbow soreness, then finished 8-5 in 17 starts with 3.41 ERA, 1.126 WHIP and 99 strikeouts over 95 innings. He made five postseason starts, going 1-0 with 2.17 ERA over 12 2/3 innings.
Reports: Chargers set to release RB Gus Edwards
The Los Angeles Chargers will release running back Gus Edwards, multiple media outlets reported on Friday. Edwards spent the first six years of his NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens before joining the Chargers last offseason as a free agent.
