Month: March 2026

Chance Gladden buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer, scoring 24 of his 26 points in the second half to help Boston University stun top-seeded Navy 73-72 on Sunday in the semifinals of the Patriot League Championship, ending the Midshipmen’s 14-game winning streak. Gladden’s game-winner for the fourth-seeded Terriers (17-16) came after Austin Benigni drove for a go-ahead layup for the Midshipmen (26-7) with three seconds remaining. Boston University will play No. 2 seed Lehigh in the championship game on Wednesday. Lehigh beat third-seeded Colgate 76-69 in an earlier semifinal Sunday. Gladden shot 8 for 12 from the floor (3 for 5 from 3-point range) and 7 for 8 from the free-throw line for the Terriers. Michael McNair totaled 22 points and seven rebounds, hitting 5 of 8 shots from beyond the arc. Ben Defty pitched in with 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting, adding seven rebounds. Aidan Kehoe led the Midshipmen with 26 points, 12 rebounds, five steals and two blocks. Benigni contributed 17 points, six assists and three steals. Navy swept the Terriers during the regular season and appeared primed to receive the Patriot League’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Navy was the top team on the 14-seed line in Michael DeCourcy’s latest bracket projection. The Associated Press contributed to this report.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Alyssa Thompson scored a late game-winning goal and the U.S. women’s national team beat Colombia 1-0 to win its eighth SheBelieves Cup title over the weekend. The USWNT faced Argentina, Canada and Colombia over the course of seven days and shut out all three opponents on their way to hoisting that trophy. The U.S. was extra motivated entering this tournament after losing to Japan last year. “I’m so proud of the way we’ve grown up this tournament,” U.S. manager Emma Hayes said in reference to how the team had to find different ways to win against three challenging opponents. “We’ve shown we can win when we’re not at our best, we’ve shown our depth, we’ve shown our maturity.” Four different players – captain Lindsey Heaps, Jaedyn Shaw, Ally Sentnor and Thompson – scored goals, while goalkeepers Phallon Tullis-Joyce and Claudia Dickey kept clean sheets. The roster Hayes called in for this camp was more in line with the “core group” she has in mind when it comes to preparing for World Cup qualifying later this year. Of course, there were still some key players out – Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith, Catarina Macario and Tierna Davidson – but Hayes was pleased with the group’s overall performance. Here are takeaways from this year’s SheBelieves Cup: 1. Alyssa Thompson’s growth Let’s start with Thompson, who was named MVP of the tournament. The 21-year-old winger is unstoppable and should be on the field at all times. Thompson left the NWSL and Angel City last September for the Women’s Super League and Chelsea, where she leads the team with six goals this season. She’s the worst kind of player for defenses to face with her combination of speed on and off the dribble as well as beating teams in transition. Thompson burst onto the senior national team scene just before the 2023 World Cup. She was young and inexperienced, but was part of that roster in Australia and New Zealand. Then she fell out of the team for a bit, due in part to injury. Since Hayes took over, she’s been on another level. Her goal against Colombia was an example of the kind of threat she is from anywhere on the pitch. “It’s been a tremendous year for Alyssa, for both club and country,” Hayes said after the Colombia match. “The consistency in her play is standout for me in terms of being able to do things over 90 minutes and do it game after game. That clutch moment she had today, she’s been doing that for Chelsea all year.” 2. “This team has endless depth” Since the U.S. won gold at the Paris Olympics in 2024, everything has been about developing the player pool. As part of her overall strategy, Hayes has given 32 players caps in 32 games. She’s placed a newfound importance on the youth national teams and the U23 program. And the team is reaping the benefits as it inches closer to World Cup qualifying later this year. “Take someone like Ally Sentnor,” Hayes said. “Ally Sentnor is super ambitious. She’s about doing that today, not tomorrow. She has set lofty goals for herself and she’s fine to live with those things. I’m so excited to see this year’s version of Ally Sentnor or Claire Hutton or Lily Yohannes. That is the aim of development and creating competition. I feel like we are in a much stronger position. “I always rewind to the Olympics. I felt really clear about 14 players. The gap, I felt, was much bigger in terms of experiences. We’re closing the gap [more] between now and qualifying. When we hit the ground for the qualifying campaign, this team will be even further along than it is already.” In the 1-0 win over Canada, Hayes brought in Heaps, Shaw, Yohannes and Emma Sears off the bench in the second half. Heaps, of course, is the team captain and normally starts. The other three have started and could be regular starters by next summer’s World Cup in Brazil. “This team has endless depth,” Sentnor told the broadcast after that match. 3. How will Hayes use all this talent? That will be the question, especially once players like Swanson, Smith, Davidson, Macario, etc. are back with the team. When they get to qualifying in the fall, or even the World Cup next summer, what will the starting lineup look like? Will the front line be all Triple Espresso? What would that mean for the likes of Thompson or Macario or Shaw? Rather than view this as a problem, having a deep roster allows Hayes to give opponents different looks. Like in the Colombia match when Heaps, Shaw, Sears, Tara Rudd, Olivia Moultrie and Jameese Joseph all came on in the second half. “It’s not like the game needed changing, it’s not like we were losing,” Hayes said. “But I wanted to keep offering another version of ourselves and I think if people understand their roles and responsibilities and there’s clarity, it shouldn’t matter who comes in.” Hayes continued: “The difference now [versus when she was first hired ahead of the Olympics] is you can bring in Emma Sears and it will add value and quality. I’m really proud of our players. And I’m proud of the system. I’m proud of the development from our youth national teams into the U23 transitions and here [with the senior team].” 4. Developing the No. 9 Had Wilson (maternity leave) and Macario (injury) been available for this camp, they would have been called up. But their absences created opportunities for more development in the No. 9 position. Sentnor played the first two games and scored the winning goal against Canada off a corner kick. “I thought she was exceptional,” Hayes said. “Mencing. She was everywhere. Didn’t let people breathe.” Against Colombia’s low block, Hayes needed a different presence, so she turned to Shaw. “I thought Jaedyn did really well and held the ball up differently,” Hayes said. “Linked with Olivia [Moultrie], so I thought the 9 and 10 did well. And then when you need to close the game and want a stretch 9, you can go to Jameese Joseph. We’re in a much better position as a result of that. “I’m pleased knowing it is an area we have to develop. And we have to find those moments for development. But I think we’re in a better position than we were prior.” This will be an intriguing position battle to watch, especially once Wilson and Macario return. Wilson was the go-to at the Olympics, while Macario led the team in scoring in 2025. Then you have the younger players who are proving themselves each chance they get. Whoever Hayes goes with in any given game will be more indicative of how she wants to play against that particular opponent rather than who she thinks should be a regular starter. That could be said for almost any position, which is a testament to the overall growth and development of this player pool. “[We can now] bring players on and maintain that quality,” Hayes said. 4 ½: What’s next for the U.S.? The United States will play Japan three times in April. This will be a good measuring stick for the squad as Hayes said Japan is “at another level than all three teams we played” in this window. Japan beat the U.S. in 2025 and won the SheBelieves Cup. “I think it sets us up perfectly to see where we stack up at the next stage,” Hayes said. The next camp could also feature Wilson, who over the weekend played in her first match since returning from maternity leave. Wilson came on in the 75th minute for the Portland Thorns in a 5-1 preseason win over Liga MX club Monterrey. Her anticipated return will be a huge boost to the USWNT.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The reigning champions held off a potential spoiler, a tournament favorite sent a statement, and an upstart team in Houston continued its strong start. The World Baseball Classic action started in Tokyo on Sunday morning, when Stuart Fairchild continued making a big name for himself for Chinese Taipei. JUMP TO: Chinese Taipei vs. Korea | Australia vs. Japan | Dominican Republic vs. Netherlands | Colombia vs. Cuba | Great Britain vs. Italy Stuart Fairchild Becomes a WBC Star Fairchild homered again before Chinese Taipei pulled off a win in extra innings against Korea. Chinese Taipei was down 3-2 entering the eighth, when Fairchild hit a two-run home run to take the lead. Do Yeong Kim answered for the Koreans in the bottom half of the frame with an RBI double, though, and the game went to extras. Kun-Yu Chiang delivered a sacrifice bunt that scored the decisive run. Fairchild, whose mother is from Taiwan, hit a grand slam in Chinese Taipei’s 14-0 win over Czechia on Saturday morning. Through four games, he’s 5-for-16 with two home runs and six RBIs with a 1.188 OPS. Australia Can’t Take Down Japan After two wins to start Pool C play, Australia had a real opportunity to shake up the WBC. The Aussies even had a lead after opening the scoring in the sixth inning. Japan scored twice in the seventh and eighth innings, though, with Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida getting his team on the board with a two-run home run. The big story was 30-year-old right-hander Connor MacDonald, who threw three scoreless innings with his brother in the crowd. It was an emotional outing on the biggest stage of MacDonald’s career. He has never played professionally outside of Australia. Dominicans Dominate Netherlands It only took the Dominican Republic seven innings for that squad of stars to beat the Netherlands, and the game ended with a two-run home run by Juan Soto. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Junior Caminero each had three RBIs, while every starting Dominican hitter scored at least one run. Luis Severino did the work on the mound with four innings of one-run ball. The Dominican Republic improved to 2-0 in pool and will face Israel on Monday and then Venezuela in what will be one of the most anticipated matchups of the tournament. Cuba Stays Unbeaten Colombia’s WBC hopes are over after it dropped to 0-3 after a 7-4 loss to Cuba, which is 2-0. Right-hander Luis Patiño only lasted one-third of an inning, allowed four runs on two hits, both of which were home runs. Ariel Martinez and Erisbel Arruebarrena hit the long balls for Cuba. Next up for Cuba is a huge matchup of 2-0 teams against Puerto Rico on Monday night in San Juan. Expresso Shots! Italy Improves To 2-0 Team USA has a huge matchup against Mexico on Monday night, but Italy is not going to go down without a fight. The Italians are 2-0 after a 7-4 win over Great Britain on Sunday afternoon in Houston. Great Britain opened the scoring with a two-run top of the first inning, but Italy answered with seven runs between the third, fourth and fifth innings. Andrew Fischer, the Brewers’ 2025 first-round pick, and J.J. D’Orazio hit back-to-back jacks in the third to spark the Italian offense – and get its espresso machine going. Italy is off on Monday before it faces the United States on Tuesday and then Mexico on Wednesday.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

For the first time since September 2024, Jon Rahm is back in the winner’s circle. Rahm pulled away from the field with a 6-under on Sunday at LIV Hong Kong to finish 23-under par. He started the day tied with Thomas Detry (20-under) and Harold Varner III (18-under). Here are our takeaways: 1. Rahm turns impressive results into victory It’s frankly astonishing that Rahm did not win last year. He had 12 top-10 finishes and seven top-fives in his 13 starts last year, including four seconds. He started this year with back-to-back seconds, as well. Rahm’s results this year were especially impressive, and he would have won at LIV Adelaide if it weren’t for Anthony Kim’s memorable final round. His worst score this season was 20-under in Australia, and he turned his second 23-under tally into a win this week. Rahm’s worst round this season was 1-under in the final round in Adelaide. His next worst is 4-under par. He’s likely to be contending down the stretch at every LIV event this year. 2. 4Aces deliver a special Sunday performance The team race was tight entering the final round, with Smash GC leading the way at 44-under par. 4Aces stepped up, though. Dustin Johnson (5-under), Kim (4-under), Thomas Pieters (4-under) and Detry (3-under) all delivered quality rounds for a 16-under tally that put them atop the team leaderboard for the tournament at 56-under, six strokes ahead of Smash GC. While all four Smash GC golfers were under par, Jason Kokrak and Varner were both just 1-under, which opened the door for Johnson’s team. 3. Bryson DeChambeau’s slow start continues DeChambeau finished third in Adelaide, but his T17 and T24 starts in Riyadh and Hong Kong have him seventh in the individual standings. The two-time major champion is no stranger to this, though. Last year, he started with a T6, T18, T20 and T10 in the first four events, but he followed that with a fifth, T2, win and T4 in the next four events. 4. Kim doesn’t contend, but the result was still encouraging Last year, Kim finished better than 44th just twice in 13 starts. While his T31 finish is a bit underwhelming compared to his incredible win in Adelaide, it’s still a sign of improvement. Kim was 9-under this week in Hong Kong, never really contending after a 2-over second round. He did finish with back-to-back 4-under marks on the weekend, which will be something to build off as LIV heads to Singapore next week. Kim is third in the overall standings after this week, trailing only Rahm and Elvis Smylie, the 23-year-old who won the season opener in Riyadh and finished T8 in Hong Kong.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports