HORNETS-BULLS
Bulls clinch playoff spot with 98-86 win over Hornets
CHICAGO (AP) β Nikola Mirotic scored 14 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, and the Chicago Bulls clinched a playoff spot with a 98-86 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.
Pau Gasol had 27 points and 12 rebounds as Chicago moved into a tie with Toronto for third place in the Eastern Conference. Jimmy Butler added 19 points in his return to the lineup after missing 11 games with a sprained left elbow.
The Bulls played without center Joakim Noah, who was scratched because of general soreness, but managed to bounce back from an ugly 107-91 loss at Detroit on Saturday.
Kemba Walker had 29 points and Mo Williams scored 15 for the Hornets, who were without Cody Zeller (right shoulder) and shot just 34.6 percent from the field.
BLACKHAWKS-HURRICANES
Shaw nets 2 goals; Blackhawks hold off Hurricanes in 3-1 win
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) β Andrew Shaw scored two goals, and the Chicago Blackhawks held off the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 on Monday night.
Corey Crawford made 43 saves for the Blackhawks, who have earned a point in 18 of their past 21 games and are fourth in the Western Conference. Shaw scored in the first period and added an empty-net goal with 40 seconds left.
Patrick Sharp had a goal and assist, and Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville earned his 750th NHL victory. Chicago improved to 23-0 when leading after two periods.
Victor Rask cut Carolina’s deficit in half early in the second period, and Anton Khudobin made 22 saves for the Hurricanes, who outshot Chicago 44-25.
Shaw and Sharp scored 1:19 apart in the first period.
NCAA-UALR-ARIZONA ST
Sun Devils rally to beat UALR 57-54 in Greensboro Region
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) β Sophie Brunner had 16 points and scored the go-ahead basket with less than a minute left, helping Arizona State rally from a 16-point deficit to beat Arkansas-Little Rock 57-54 Monday night in the Greensboro Region of the NCAA Tournament.
No. 3 seed Arizona State (29-5) labored against UALR’s defensive pressure most of the night before getting the ball inside in the second half.
Brunner put the Sun Devils up 53-52 on a putback with 54 seconds left and Elisha Davis blocked Alexius Dawn’s last-second 3-pointer, sending Arizona State to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2009.
Promise Amukamara added 17 points for the Sun Devils, who face Florida State in the regional semifinals in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Friday.
No. 11 seed UALR (29-5) went through a scoring drought of 5 1-2 minutes in the second half as Arizona State clawed its way back from the big deficit.
NCAA-OHIO STATE-NORTH CAROLINA-PLAYERS ON COURT
UNC players leave bench early during celebration
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) β Some North Carolina players ran onto the court before the final horn sounded following their buzzer-beating 86-84 victory over Ohio State on Monday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Tar Heels won it on a jumper by Jamie Cherry with 0.6 seconds remaining. After her 18-footer swished through, a handful of Tar Heels ran from the bench onto the court in celebration as the Buckeyes inbounded the ball but didn’t get a final shot off before the buzzer.
After the horn, the three officials huddled at midcourt before heading off the floor and down the tunnel.
According to Rule 10, Sect. 4, Article 7 of the NCAA rulebook, such a delay in a game shall be ignored “when the delay does not interfere with play.”
Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff was not asked about it β and did not bring it up on his own β during his postgame news conference.
NCAA-OHIO STATE-NORTH CAROLINA
UNC women reach Sweet 16 by beating Ohio State 86-84
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) β Jamie Cherry hit a jumper with 0.6 seconds left and North Carolina beat Ohio State 86-84 on Monday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Stephanie Mavunga had a career-high 27 points and 14 rebounds, Allisha Gray added 20 points and Brittany Rountree had 15 for the fourth-seeded Tar Heels (26-8).
They blew a 23-point lead before Cherry’s latest big shot sent them into a Greensboro Regional semifinal matchup against top-seeded South Carolina (32-2) on Friday night.
Ameryst Alston had 30 points for the fifth-seeded Buckeyes (24-11), who never led but tied it twice in the final minute β the last coming when Kelsey Mitchell’s free throws made it 84-all with 5.1 seconds left.
Gray inbounded to Cherry, who raced down the right sideline through the Ohio State pressure and pulled up for an 18-footer that swished through. The Buckeyes didn’t get a shot off before the horn.
NASCAR-MARTINSVILLE-TIRE BARRIERS
Martinsville to erect tire barriers for NASCAR race
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) β Martinsville Speedway will erect additional tire barriers in time for this weekend’s NASCAR races.
International Speedway Corp. said Monday the tire barriers will be installed at the end of the backstretch of the .526-mile oval. The barriers will be in place in time for Sprint Cup practice and qualifying on Friday.
All tracks that host NASCAR events are studying their safety measures following Kyle Busch’s crash last month at Daytona. Busch broke his right leg and left foot in the Xfinity Series opener when he spun and hit a concrete wall that was not protected by an energy-absorbing SAFER barrier.
