One of the odder controversies to emerge from the 2026 World Baseball Classic appears to have come to a close.
Seattle Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena released a statement Saturday saying he had apologized to star catcher Cal Raleigh for their handshake controversy during the tournament, via Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times:
“I understand that with Opening Day a few days away, I don’t want it to be a distraction. Cal and I have talked and I apologized for what I said after the game. Nothing in the WBC takes away from the fact that we are brothers and teammates. He’s family, and we are both focused on helping the Mariners win the World Series.”
The incident in question occurred when Arozarena’s Mexico team faced Raleigh and Team USA during pool play. As Arozarena came to the plate, he reached out a hand for Raleigh to shake, but the reigning AL home run champion declined to reciprocate.
Cal Raleigh refuses to shake hands with his Mariners teammate Randy Arozarena pic.twitter.com/YpTxhHmH9P
It was a seemingly harmless moment — and not even unprecedented, as Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers had the same reaction when Arozarena pulled the move during the 2023 WBC — but it soon became clear it meant something to Arozarena.
“We talked it out. Randy knows that I love him and he’s a brother. It’s in the past and none of us are carrying this forward. We’re in a good spot. We talked it out. We’re both sorry, and we both got in a good place, and we’re both happy to be here too.”
With everyone now back in spring training, the matter appears settled. Both Raleigh and Arozarena are important parts of the Mariners for 2026, a season in which the club is a -105 favorite to win the AL West at BetMGM, and is tied for the third-best odds to win the World Series ast +1300.
HOUSTON — On Saturday night, Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant scored his 32,293rd career point, passing Michael Jordan — widely considered the greatest basketball player of all time — for fifth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
He got there in the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat, with a clutch 3-pointer from the corner.
The Rockets would also go on to win the game, 123-122, in memorable fashion, with Amen Thompson scoring the game-winner on a tip-in just before the buzzer off a missed shot by Durant. Durant finished the game with 27 points.
The Rockets’ possession that rewrote basketball history, and marked a milestone, began with a familiar problem amid unfamiliar territory.
In the final minutes of Saturday night’s thrilling win, Miami’s 2-3 zone, which had long been a thorn in the opposition’s side, was set up in its entirety, with Durant stationed in the right corner, patiently waiting for the ball.
Houston, which has been dealing with a bout of inconsistency over the past few weeks, was once again presented with a crunch-time situation — only this time, the bulk of trust from head coach Ime Udoka was placed in Durant’s teammates Alperen Şengün and Reed Sheppard.
Their two-man action near the top of the key was enough that the closest defender to Durant nudged ever so slightly in Sheppard’s direction, committing one of basketball’s cardinal sins — giving a historic scorer breathing room.
So by the time the ball found Durant’s fingertips once again, it was far too late for Simone Fontecchio. The 37-year-old barely had enough time to properly bend his knees before releasing, but a man with 32,291 points under his belt need not an ample amount of time to create magic out of thin air. The shot caressed the bottom of the net, a motion he’s seen a thousand times and then some.
Kevin Durant celebrates after passing Michael Jordan on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. (Thomas Shea-Imagn Images)
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERS
Wrapped in the heat of the moment, Durant threw up two signs; one hand signifying his new place among the greats, and the other paying homage to his alma mater, the University of Texas. After the final buzzer — a win, courtesy of Thompson’s tip-in layup — Durant spoke in awe about being showered with bottles of water by his teammates, the first time in his career he had ever gotten to experience that.
“It’s an honor for everyone to be a part of that,” Udoka said. “All these accolades that are getting passed, I don’t think he cares much about it in the moment. He’s focused on the season and what we’re trying to accomplish. But don’t want to make it an afterthought, to be top five of all time in scoring, the efficiency and professionalism he plays with, you take it for granted. Passing a name like Michael Jordan is a huge accomplishment and we celebrated that with him. He’ll have some more to chop off next.”
In a season — and career — that has been marked by consistency and ascension, Durant has climbed past Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Dirk Nowitzki on the scoring charts, and now sits behind Kobe Bryant, who currently resides in fourth with 33,643 points.
“It’s pretty sweet to be in the same category with the greats,” Durant said. “A lot of these guys have inspired me to work on my game as much as I can and contribute to a team in a positive way. MJ is in a world of his own and somebody I look up to and respect, who basically shaped the game for me. Grateful for everybody that invested in me; all of my friends, family, teammates, coaches. I couldn’t be here without them.”
Kevin Durant, scoring machine
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Durant’s Hall of Fame career — one that has spanned nearly two decades and five NBA franchises — is the sheer efficiency in which he has operated under, especially considering the major injuries he’s sustained since entering the league in 2007. Durant has suffered from a Jones fracture, torn Achilles, MCL sprains and ankle issues over the years. He’s finished with less than 65 games played in a regular season seven times, and missed an entire campaign altogether, yet has still scored at a steady enough rate to place him atop basketball’s pantheon of offensive juggernauts.
According to Stathead, of the players who have amassed 20,000 or more points for their career, Durant’s .621 true shooting percentage ranks second all time. There is also no player in basketball history with more than 10 career games played (Durant has played 1,188) who boasts his shooting splits from the field, 3-point line and free-throw line (.503/.391/.882).
“I love making shots,” Durant said with a smile. “No matter how difficult they are, no matter what angle from the floor they are. I just like seeing the ball go through the rim, so I work on that as much as I can. Making shots makes it tougher on the opposing team to come down and get easy baskets. But I shoot all bad shots, to be honest — like damn, when I think about it, I just learned how to make those shots.”
History will remember Durant as one of the most unorthodox, unique forces of all time, a 6-foot-11 forward with the court vision and ball-handling of a premier point guard, the athleticism of a wing and the length of a center. In every year, his high usage rate has not detracted from the collective’s success, with his teams performing better with him on the floor for 17 straight seasons.
This season, Durant is averaging 25.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, an impressive feat for a 37-year-old essentially dragging an inconsistent Rockets team upon his shoulders.
Durant’s career isn’t without its detractors, a subset of basketball fans who will point to his various stops in search of titles compared to some of his peers — or some of his social media activity. But there is no debate, regardless of where you stand on the aisle, that Durant has achieved monumental success in the NBA.
“I’ve always admired KD,” Aces forward A’ja Wilson, who was also in attendance when Bam Adebayo recently made NBA history with an 83-point game, told Yahoo Sports. “Obviously I’m here for the Heat, but admire his work ethic. He always shows love to our side of the basketball when it comes to the women’s game. So to be here and witness the buckets — even though it’s against my boyfriend — it was heartbreaking in that sense, but it’s a beautiful thing. Kevin has given so much to this game and it was just a matter of time for him to continue to climb.”
Durant has been an All-Star 16 times. He’s made an All-NBA team 11 times. He’s won the scoring title four times, and he’s been the league and Finals MVP. Plus, he has two titles to boot. Those who have played with him, whether in Oklahoma City, Golden State, Brooklyn, Phoenix or Houston, will attest to his accomplishments. Even those that have played against him. Especially those that have played against him.
“Every version,” LeBron James recently said of the hardest version of Durant he’s had to guard. “He continues to get better and better. Him in Golden State was super dynamic because you couldn’t put multiple bodies in front of him because of the threat of Klay [Thompson] and Steph [Curry] at all times. Also his time in Brooklyn, a smaller sample, but anytime you can’t put bodies in front of a great like that with the ability to score the ball, it’s very challenging. We had our battles in the Finals, too.
“He’s never not been great at basketball. So every version.”
The Los Angeles Lakers won’t be without Luka Dončić for their next game after all.
The Lakers star received his 16th technical foul of the season Saturday night against the Orlando Magic, which triggered an automatic one-game suspension. That would have kept him out for the Lakers’ clash with the East-leading Detroit Pistons on Monday.
But the Lakers appealed the technical foul, and the NBA officially rescinded it on Sunday afternoon. So, Dončić is back to 15 technical fouls on the season and will be allowed to play against the Pistons.
The foul occurred late in the third quarter, after an exchange of words between Dončić and Magic big man Goga Bitadze. The two had been jawing during a free throw, and Dončić continued talking to him as they ran down the floor. The officials hit the players with a double tech.
Luka Doncic receives his 16th tech of the season and if it stands he will be suspended for Monday’s game vs. the Pistons. pic.twitter.com/UNUABrb6W2
The Lakers went on to win 105-104, via a game-winning 3-pointer from Luke Kennard. Dončić posted 33 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. It is the Lakers’ ninth consecutive win.
Goga Bitadze disputes JJ Redick, Luka Dončić’s claims about trash talk
Lakers head coach JJ Redick told reporters after the game that Bitadze saying something about Dončić’s mother triggered the conflict:
“We’ll obviously try to get that rescinded. I’m not sure what happened. I do know that there were certain things said in a language that the referees couldn’t understand in reference to Luka’s mom.
Dončić claimed the offending statement was Bitadze, who is Georgian, saying he would “f*** [Dončić’s] whole family.”
Bitadze, however, denied that was the case and claimed Dončić was the actually first to bring the families into it via Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel:
“I have all the respect for Luka and what he has done. And I really respect everybody’s family. Where I come from, it’s really sacred and we really respect each other’s families and I would never directly say that. He just said some inappropriate things in the Serbian language, which, I played in Serbia. I understand, I don’t know if he knew I understood what he said. So I just said it back. And it was nothing towards his family or anybody. His family, I really, truly respect them and that’s pretty much it.
“I’m a fan of his game and don’t want to look like it was directed to his family, or anything. It was just in the heat of the moment. I heard what he said and I felt like I had to respond the same way. So, from my side, if he feels like I said something too much or crossed the line, I apologize as a man. I can take [accountability], but I didn’t say anything but what he said. What he came out and said, I don’t think that’s the truth. I know that’s not the truth. So, I know what I said and that was pretty much it in the heat of the moment. So like I said, some things were said and I apologize if it crossed the line.”
This is the second time this month Dončić has told reporters an opponent said something offensive to him, only for that same opponent to immediately say Dončić was the one who initiated the trash talk. The same thing happened with Matas Buzelis of the Chicago Bulls.
In a conversation with a pool reporter, crew chief Marc Davis said the two players were T’d up for “continual taunting of one another” and “were both warned to cease their comments” while lined up for free throws.
Dončić flirting with suspension isn’t unique
If the technical foul wasn’t rescinded, it would have been the first time Dončić had received the technical foul suspension in his career, though he’s come close in the past. He finished three straight seasons from 2020 to 2023 with 15 techs and had 13 last season. He was actually in the same position in 2023, but the NBA decided to rescind the 16th tech in that case.
Post-hype sleepers sometimes end up being the best value picks in the middle and final rounds of fantasy baseball drafts. In fact, the 2025 version of this article mentioned Gavin Williams and Jonathan Aranda, who both went from being late-round gambles or April waiver-wire fodder to productive lineup members. Trent Grisham would have been an excellent choice as well, as he turned around a floundering career by homering 34 times.
This year’s crop of post-hype sleepers includes options that are spaced throughout the draft, but most members are clustered as late-round options who will open 2026 on waivers in many leagues.
Francisco Alvarez, C, New York Mets (ADP: 196.2)
Once considered a budding superstar at the scarcest position when he hit 25 homers in 2023, Alvarez is now an afterthought in the deepest group of catchers we have seen. The 24-year-old dealt with multiple injuries across 2024-25 but may have finally put those issues behind him when he hit .276 with eight homers and a .921 OPS in 41 second-half games last season.
The problem is that no one noticed, as catchers such as Hunter Goodman and Shea Langeliers were stealing the show, and rookies like Agustín Ramírez and Kyle Teel were also grabbing headlines. Nonetheless, Alvarez is part of a loaded Mets lineup and could establish himself as a top-12 catcher early in the season.
Gabriel Moreno, C, Arizona Diamondbacks (ADP: 197.9)
Moreno joins Alvarez as a catcher whose post-hype sleeper status is magnified by the tremendous depth at the position. The 26-year-old is understandably going undrafted in many leagues. Sure, he has an impressive career .281 average, but he has yet to produce a double-digit homer season. Moreno could be ready for a power breakout though, as he has always produced quality exit velocities and boosted his fly-ball rate 5% in each of the past two seasons. Injuries have held the catcher back throughout his career, but with better health, he could hit .285 with 15-20 homers and 70 RBI from the heart of Arizona’s lineup.
Michael Harris II, OF, Atlanta Braves (ADP: 96.0)
Many fantasy analysts predicted Harris to be a 30-30 player in 2023, after he hit .297 with 19 homers and 20 steals as a 21-year-old in 114 games as a rookie. Unfortunately, the outfielder has trended in the wrong direction for three straight seasons. He hit rock bottom when he arrived at the 2025 All-Star break hitting .210 with a .551 OPS, but just when everyone gave up on him, Harris hit .299 with 14 homers and an .845 OPS in 67 second-half games.
Is he finally ready to reach his 30-30 ceiling? At the moment, it only requires a pick ahead of his 96 ADP to find out.
MacKenzie Gore, SP, Texas Rangers (ADP: 149.3)
Gore’s post-hype sleeper status took a hit when he was traded from the Nats to the Rangers. The deal was a clear win for his fantasy value, which put the lefty back on the radar for many managers who had previously dismissed him. Still, he perfectly fits the profile of a post-hype player, as he teased fantasy managers many times across 2023-25, when he enjoyed brilliant spurts that were always followed by maddening stretches.
He already has excellent strikeout skills and may finally be ready to post a respectable WHIP now that he has a pitcher-friendly home park and solid defensive group behind him.
Andrew Painter, SP, Philadelphia Phillies (ADP: 206.3)
Can someone be a post-hype sleeper before they appear in a major league game? That may be the case with Painter. The 2021 first-round pick missed all of 2023-24 and was expected to debut last season before logging poor results (5.26 ERA, 1.49 WHIP) across 118 minor league innings.
Along the way, youngsters such as Nolan McLean, Trey Yesavage and Jacob Misiorowski distanced themselves from Painter by having exciting major league debuts. Painter was once in front of those hurlers on prospect lists, and he now has a clear path to an Opening Day rotation spot.
Grayson Rodriguez, SP, Los Angeles Angels (ADP: 205.1)
Rodriguez had a respectable rookie season in 2023 and took a step forward when he went 13-4 with solid ratios (3.86 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) in his sophomore campaign. The right-hander missed all of 2025 due to elbow issues that eventually required surgery, and the pitching-needy Orioles had so little faith in his ability to bounce back that they traded him for one season of Taylor Ward.
The late rounds of Yahoo drafts are meant for chasing upside, and managers only need to look at Rodriguez’s career 259:78 K:BB ratio to see a reason to give him a couple of weeks on their roster.
Zebby Matthews, SP, Minnesota Twins (ADP: 194.7)
Those who analyze minor league stats were touting Matthews during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, as his strong strikeout skills and minuscule walk rate gave the right-hander the look of someone who was destined for stardom. To say that Matthews (career 5.92 ERA, 1.54 WHIP) has disappointed would be an understatement. Bad luck (67.4% strand rate, .359 BABIP) has been part of the problem, but Matthews has also given up too much hard contact at times.
Opportunities abound on the rebuilding Twins, and this feels like a make-or-break season for the 25-year-old.
Joe Boyle, SP, Tampa Bay Rays (Undrafted)
Although his skills aren’t identical to those of Matthews, Boyle has some similarities. Minor league stat analysts were digging the right-hander during 2024 spring training, as he had gaudy minor league strikeout numbers and looked sharp in three debut starts the previous September. Unfortunately, control issues (career 5.7 BB/9 rate) and bad luck (64.1% strand rate) have thus far negated any chance of Boyle having success in the majors. There was renewed optimism for a breakout when he was traded to the Rays prior to last season, but it didn’t happen.
Maybe making half of his starts at pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field will help Boyle get over the hump. But the bottom line is that the 26-year-old needs to get his walks under control before breaking out. Opportunities should be available in a Rays rotation that has few dependable members.
Expectations were high when the White Sox tabbed Vaughn with the third overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, but his progress was stalled in Chicago — and he hit a .189/.219/.314 wall on the South Side last summer. But Vaughn’s bat magically healed after a trade to Milwaukee — he gave the Brewers a .308/.375/.493 slash, with nine homers and 46 RBI in 64 games. He was a top-65 fantasy hitter over the final three months of the year.
Sometimes players need a change of scenery or a new set of guideposts, and the Brewers have been so shrewd with their under-the-radar player evaluations in recent years, I want to give them the benefit of the doubt. A decade ago, we’d regularly talk about backlining Tampa Bay — the Rays didn’t have a ton of resources but they seemed to use them smarter than anyone else. That’s how I feel about the Brewers now.
Even if you fall short of my Milwaukee optimism, you can at least rally behind a post-hype sleeper who’s settling into his age-28 year. The timing appears right for Vaughn to take a step forward, and the cost is absurdly low.
Sal Stewart, 1B, Reds (205 ADP)
The Reds always seem to have too many options for too few offensive slots, so it’s generally a nervous exercise to promote one of their less-established players. But Stewart got our attention during an 118-game romp through the minors last year (.309/.383/.524, with 20 homers at two levels). The Reds used him off-and-on during a September call-up, and although Stewart had 15 whiffs against just three walks, at least his connections were loud (five homers, .545 slugging).
I’d like to hear some Terry Francona confirmation on Stewart’s role and batting slot before I jump into this recco with both feet, but Stewart at least carries plenty of plausible upside entering his age-22 season.
Shea Langeliers, C, Athletics (66 ADP)
Coming off a pair of productive seasons, Langeliers is a step away from a Cal Raleigh-esque campaign. The slugger was dominant in the second half of 2025, when he used improvements in fly ball rate and pull rate to hit .328 with 19 homers and 45 RBI in 57 games.
He boosted his year-over-year batting average by more than 50 points, thanks to a vastly improved 19.7% strikeout rate. Langeliers barrels up the ball often, is part of a rapidly improving lineup and calls home to a hitter-friendly venue. He could produce 35-40 homers and 100 RBI.
Miguel Vargas, 1B/3B, White Sox (206 ADP)
For the deep-league crowd, I offer Vargas as a late-round breakout candidate. The 26-year-old who debuted way back in 2022 finally played a full season in 2025. The results were respectable but not impressive. Still, we saw some improvements, most notably major strides with a strikeout rate that was cut to 17.6%. Vargas has always produced many fly balls (career 50.3% rate) and respectable exit velocities but has been saddled by a lowly lifetime 7.3% HR/FB rate. That mark will finally push past 10% this year, which will give Vargas 25-homer potential.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 14: Tatsuya Imai #45 of the Houston Astros throws a bullpen during spring training workouts at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on February 14, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Looking at the schedule and the Astros’ plan to open with a 5-man rotation, there are certainly clues.
Back on January 5th, at the press conference introducing SP Tatsuya Imai, Astros manager Joe Espada said the team would likely employ a 6-man rotation frequently this season and that we would “probably see it from the get-go.”
With 26 games in 28 days to open the season, and their new prized pitcher used to pitching once a week in Japan, it seemed to make the most sense the Astros would utilize the 6-man rotation as much as possible to keep things as close to “normal” for Imai as they could as he adapted to the MLB schedule and level of play.
A little over a week ago, that started to change, and the Astros were unsure whether they would go 5-man or 6-man to start the year. That question was answered today by the manager.
Astros manager Joe Espada said the club will open the season with a five-man rotation.
That definitive statement was made before the Astros took on the Mets in Port St. Lucie today, in their penultimate Grapefruit League game of the 2026 season. It was a game stated by Mike Burrows, who followed Hunter Brown as the Astros line up their rotation for the season.
Cristian Javier will pitch tomorrow. Imai, who hasn’t pitched since he threw 3 shutout innings March 11, is scheduled to pitch Monday (March 23) in Houston against the Space Cowboys. The regular season begins March 26.
Lance McCullers Jr., who last pitched March 17, would presumably follow as the fifth starter. Spencer Arrighetti, the other prime candidate for the rotation’s fifth spot, has not started a game this spring and he was just away from the team due to the birth of his twins. He will likely either begin the season in the bullpen.
The Astros will play 7 games in a row to open the season. Right now, the way the Astros lineup, that rotation would run Brown, Burrows, Javier, Imai, McCullers, Brown, Burrows, DAY OFF.
Houston would then play six straight games: Javier, Imai, McCullers, Brown, Burrows, Javier, DAY OFF.
They would then play 13 straight games, and this is where the sixth starer would be introduced: Imai, McCullers, Brown, Burrows, Javier, Arrighetti as 6th starter, Imai, McCullers, Brown, Burrows, Javier, Arrighetti, Imai, DAY OFF.
After that stretch of 26 games in 28 days, they have a 3 game series with the Yankees and then another off day. This could lead to McCullers being skipped and giving him some extra rest before he would make his next start.
Against the Yankees, the Astros could go with Brown, Burrows and Javier all on 5 days rest.
Houston will then play 9 straight. With McCullers having been potentially skipped for the Yankees series, that could ultimately lead to Arrighetti not starting again until they need to create a fifth day of rest for Imai again.
The rotation coming out from the off day following the Yankees series could be Imai, McCullers, Brown, Burrows, Javier, Arrighetti, Imai, McCullers, Brown.
The Astros will want to keep Imai on 5 days rest, and in the 4th starter spot, it all seems to lineup that way for him.
The Houston Rockets have had players donning a total of 52 different jersey numbers (and have one not part of any numerical series for Houston assistant coach and general manager Carroll Dawson) since their founding at the start of the 1967-68 season, worn by just under 500 players in the course of Rockets history.
To honor all of the players who wore those numbers over the decades, Rockets Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who wore them since the founding of the team all those years ago right up to the present day.
With seven of those jerseys now retired to honor some of the greatest Rockets of all time to wear those jerseys, there is a lot of history to cover.
And for today’s article, we will continue with the third of 21 who wore the No. 10, guard alum Mike Dunleavy. After ending his college career at South Carolina, Dunleavy was picked up with the 99th overall selection (there were many more rounds in that era of the draft) of the 1976 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Brooklyn, New York native played parts of the first two seasons of his pro career with Philly, coming to an end when he signed with the Houston Rockets in 1978. His stay with the team lasted until he signed with the San Antonio Spurs in 1982.
During his time suiting up for the Rockets, Dunleavy wore only jersey No. 31 and 10 and put up 8.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — All-American Mikayla Blakes scored 23 of her 30 points by halftime as the second-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores routed No. 15 seed High Point 102-61 on Saturday night to open the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Vanderbilt (28-4) came in with the most victories in program history and remains undefeated at home this season. Now they play either seventh-seeded Illinois or No. 10 seed Colorado (22-11) on Monday night for a spot in the Sweet 16 of the Fort Worth 1 Region.
Sacha Washington had 10 points and 17 rebounds, and Aubrey Galvan added 17 points. Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda added 10 as 11 Commodores had at least a point.
High Point (27-6) won both the Big South’s regular-season title and tournament championship for the Panthers’ second straight and third NCAA berth overall. Macy Spencer, a transfer from UNLV, did her best to keep them close with 22 of her 27 points in the first half.
In the second meeting between the programs, Vanderbilt won more easily than on Dec. 4, 2011.
Blakes came in as the nation’s scoring leader averaging 27 points a game. She had 13 points as Vanderbilt jumped to a 30-13 lead after the first quarter. Blakes needed 19 points to set the mark for the best single-season scoring mark in program history, and she had 23 by halftime.
That put the Commodores up 54-32. Blakes played only five minutes in the third quarter as Vanderbilt outscored High Point 27-15 for an 81-47 lead. Coach Shea Ralph was able to rest her starters much of the fourth.
More on Blakes’ night
Blakes came back for a couple minutes in the fourth and finished with a pair of free throws for her 51st consecutive game scoring in double figures. That’s the longest streak in the Southeastern Conference, and she came into this game with the third-longest active streak in Division I.
Paint dominance
Vanderbilt led the Southeastern Conference making an average of 9.7 3-pointers per game. The Commodores didn’t have to shoot away against a High Point squad featuring only one player taller than 6-foot-1. They smothered the boards 56-26 outscoring the Panthers 46-30 in the paint.
Home-court advantage
Hosting for the first time since 2012, the Commodores improved to 15-2 all-time when playing at Memorial.
Up next
High Point has two seniors and a pair of graduates on the roster. Coach Chelsea Banbury showed the ability to reload quickly for this season adding three freshmen and three through the portal including Spencer.
Vanderbilt lost the last time the Commodores hosted a second-round game as a No. 7 seed in 2012. A win Monday night would cinch the first Sweet 16 berth since 2009.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — All-American Mikayla Blakes scored 23 of her 30 points by halftime as the second-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores routed No. 15 seed High Point 102-61 on Saturday night to open the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Vanderbilt (28-4) came in with the most victories in program history and remains undefeated at home this season. Now they play either seventh-seeded Illinois or No. 10 seed Colorado (22-11) on Monday night for a spot in the Sweet 16 of the Fort Worth 1 Region.
Sacha Washington had 10 points and 17 rebounds, and Aubrey Galvan added 17 points. Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda added 10 as 11 Commodores had at least a point.
High Point (27-6) won both the Big South’s regular-season title and tournament championship for the Panthers’ second straight and third NCAA berth overall. Macy Spencer, a transfer from UNLV, did her best to keep them close with 22 of her 27 points in the first half.
In the second meeting between the programs, Vanderbilt won more easily than on Dec. 4, 2011.
Blakes came in as the nation’s scoring leader averaging 27 points a game. She had 13 points as Vanderbilt jumped to a 30-13 lead after the first quarter. Blakes needed 19 points to set the mark for the best single-season scoring mark in program history, and she had 23 by halftime.
That put the Commodores up 54-32. Blakes played only five minutes in the third quarter as Vanderbilt outscored High Point 27-15 for an 81-47 lead. Coach Shea Ralph was able to rest her starters much of the fourth.
More on Blakes’ night
Blakes came back for a couple minutes in the fourth and finished with a pair of free throws for her 51st consecutive game scoring in double figures. That’s the longest streak in the Southeastern Conference, and she came into this game with the third-longest active streak in Division I.
Paint dominance
Vanderbilt led the Southeastern Conference making an average of 9.7 3-pointers per game. The Commodores didn’t have to shoot away against a High Point squad featuring only one player taller than 6-foot-1. They smothered the boards 56-26 outscoring the Panthers 46-30 in the paint.
Home-court advantage
Hosting for the first time since 2012, the Commodores improved to 15-2 all-time when playing at Memorial.
Up next
High Point has two seniors and a pair of graduates on the roster. Coach Chelsea Banbury showed the ability to reload quickly for this season adding three freshmen and three through the portal including Spencer.
Vanderbilt lost the last time the Commodores hosted a second-round game as a No. 7 seed in 2012. A win Monday night would cinch the first Sweet 16 berth since 2009.
