SWIMMING
Franklin leads Bears victory
Missy Franklin of California won the 200-yard backstroke with the second-fastest time ever for her third title of the NCAA women’s swimming and diving championships on Saturday night, and helped the Golden Bears win the team title. The four-time Olympic gold medalist touched first in 1 minute, 47.91 seconds in the final meet of her college career. Franklin plans to turn pro after two years of college and is aiming to compete in next year’s Rio Olympic Games. Franklin returned to lead off as part of the Golden Bears’ second-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay. Cal won the team title with 513 points at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. Georgia finished second with 452 and Stanford was third at 363.
SAILING
Iceberg causes race change
Volvo Ocean Race crews are speeding through the Southern Ocean toward Cape Horn in the fifth leg on Sunday after organizers guided them clear of a 1km-wide iceberg that was blocking their path. The massive iceberg was spotted on the Race HQ satellite screens at the end of last week and has led to a hasty change in the positioning of ice gates in the toughest of all nine stages in the nine-month offshore marathon. The ice limits will force the boats to sail clear of the iceberg’s passage in the Southern Ocean. Crews will be penalized if they sail over these boundaries toward hazardous areas. The iceberg itself is not the major hazard. Growlers — or chunks of ice that have broken off it are a more potent threat — as they can be unseen by the crews until the last minute.
BASKETBALL
Marbury leads Ducks in win
Stephon Marbury’s professional rebirth in China continues to bear fruit, leading the Beijing Ducks to their second consecutive title and third overall championship since joining the team. The 38-year-old former NBA standout was named series all-star following Beijing’s 106-98 victory over the Liaoning Leopards on Sunday. Marbury had a roller-coaster NBA career, in which he was twice named as an All-Star, but also endured a string of disappointing stints with several NBA teams. He is an unrivaled fan favorite in Beijing and the team’s on-court leader — there is even a statue of him in front of its arena. Marbury has said he plans to stay in China after retiring and hopes to coach the national team one day.
BASEBALL
Jose Pirela hurt after crash
New York Yankees prospect Jose Pirela suffered a concussion on Sunday after crashing hard into the outfield wall in a Major League Baseball spring training game against the New York Mets. Pirela was sent to hospital for a CT scan and cervical MRI, the Yankees said. The 25-year-old, who usually plays the infield, was in center field and chasing a drive hit by the Mets’ Juan Lagares, who made it around the bases for an inside-the-park home run. Pirela’s head and right shoulder slammed into the padded fence and he collapsed to the warning track.
GOLF
Madeira Open canceled
The Madeira Islands Open was canceled due to bad weather on Sunday and the European Tour will look to stage the event later in the year. Torrential rain meant that no play was possible in the second and final round at Santo da Serra on Sunday. It is thought to be the first time a European Tour event has been canceled due to bad weather since the European Grand Prix in 1998.
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
The Philadelphia 76ers, fueled by 36 points from Tyrese Maxey and a triple-double from Joel Embiid, on Thursday beat the Houston Rockets 128-122 in an NBA overtime thriller. Cameroonian big man Embiid scored 32 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and handed out 10 assists, posting the ninth triple-double of his career to help the Sixers end the Rockets’ three-game winning streak. Rockets star Kevin Durant scored 36 points and Amen Thompson added 17, but Thompson was scoreless in the fourth quarter. Even so, the Rockets led by nine midway through the final frame, Maxey tying it at 115-115 with 40.1 seconds left. Durant missed a
Qatar’s Nasser al-Attiyah on Saturday secured his sixth Dakar Rally car title in Saudi Arabia with Luciano Benavides scraping home by two seconds to claim the motorbike title. “We’ve worked very hard since last year. I might not be showing much emotion yet, but it’s there, deep down. We are so happy to win,” al-Attiyah said at the finish. Al-Attiyah, at the wheel of a Dacia, only had to avoid a final day slip-up to top the podium after bringing his career tally of stage wins to 50 on Friday. The 55-year-old, who took clay pigeon shooting bronze at the
Tobias Harris on Monday scored 25 points as the Detroit Pistons held off the Boston Celtics to score a 104-103 victory in their top-of-the-table Eastern Conference showdown. Harris was one of four Detroit players to finish in double figures, with Jalen Duren adding 18 points and point guard Cade Cunningham scoring 16 points with 14 assists. The win sees Detroit extend their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to 31-10, 5.5 games ahead of second-placed Boston, who fell to 26-16 with the defeat. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics scoring with 32 points and almost snatched victory in the
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