SPORTS WRAP
BY WILLIAM HATHAWAY, JR.
PHOTOS COURTESY UCONN LADY HUSKIES
This past weekend saw college basketball crown its National Champions for the 2023-24 season.
First, the Women’s Final Four took place in Tampa, Florida. Defending champ South Carolina defeated Texas 74-57 in one semifinal. Joyce Edwards led with 27 points in the game. Meanwhile, Connecticut defeated UCLA 85-51, shutting down Bruins star Lauren Betts. Sara Strong led with 26 points.
The National Championship game was the matchup everyone wanted: recent juggernaut South Carolina versus legacy juggernaut UConn. Unfortunately, the game itself was not even close. The Lady Huskies won their 12th title, all under Geno Auriemma, taking the crown from the Lady Gamecocks 82-59.
UConn’s big three were the key to the victory. Freshman Sara Strong led the team with 24 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, all while setting an NCAA tournament record for points by a freshman. Likely #1 WNBA pick Paige Bueckers scored 17 points and 6 rebounds, while Azzi Fudd put in 24 points and 5 rebounds. Leading was Joyce Edwards with 10 points and 5 rebounds and Tessa Johnson with 10 points and 3 rebounds.
Connecticut dominated the entire game, shooting 48 percent while holding the Gamecocks to just 34 percent. This marked the first National Title for UConn since 2016.
On the other side, the men’s Final Four games took place in San Antonio, Texas. Florida defeated fellow SEC team Auburn 79-73 in comeback fashion. Walter Clayton, Jr. dominated with 34 points for the Gators, while Alijah Martin had 17 points. Johni Broome had 15 points and 7 rebounds for the Tigers in the loss. Then, in an upset, the Houston Cougars beat the Duke Blue Devils 70-67. Leading Houston was LJ Cryer with 26 points. Likely #1 NBA pick Cooper Flagg had 26 points, but missed a key shot late. The Cougars’ stingy defense was the main star, as Duke only had 1 field goal in the last 10 minutes of the game.
In other sports, it was the New York Red Bulls defeated the Chicago Fire 2-1. Leading the Red Bulls was Noah Eile and forward Serge Ngoma. NY took the lead in the 2nd minute of the first stoppage time. The Red Bulls have won three of their first four home matches at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison. Goalkeeper Carlos Cornel recorded his 50th Career win in MLS. The New York Red Bulls are 3-2-2 on the season.
Finally, there is a new all time goal scorer in the National Hockey League, as Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin passed Wayne Gretzky with his 895th goal in a game at the New York Islanders.
