Sim To End: Villanova 64, Marquette 39
On Sunday afternoon at The Finn, Marquette women’s basketball gave up a 12-0 run to Villanova over about seven minutes of game time. That left the score at 14-2, and at the end of the period, it was 16-5 favoring the Wildcats.
One of two things was then going to happen:
- Marquette punches back and it turns into a competitive game at some point and eventually one team or the other wins.
- Marquette has no answer for anything from Villanova on this day and the Wildcats just hold them at arm’s length at best or blow them out at worst.
Friends, it was Option #2.
Marquette got it within seven points in the second quarter for a moment but ultimately went into the locker room down 11, effectively not moving at all from the end of the first. Then the Wildcats scored the first four points of the second half and never led by less than 12 after that, but also never more than 16. 12 was the margin heading to the fourth, and after two Kennedi Perkins free throws to start the frame, Villanova went on a 17-2 run to really establish who was the better team here.
Your final: Villanova 64, Marquette 39.
That was not an encouraging performance after keeping it fairly competitive against #1 UConn just eight days ago.
To be clear: This was a failure of Marquette’s offense. They had allowed just 29 points at halftime and just 43 points through three quarters. Heck, 64 through four quarters isn’t exactly bad. Villanova didn’t shoot over 50% in any of the first three quarters and were under 40% in the middle two quarters of the game. This contest was there for the Golden Eagles to grab it even though they were down double digits almost immediately…
….. They just never did.
22 turnovers didn’t help their case, that’s for sure. However, nine of those came in the first quarter. That means just 13 the rest of the game, and five of those were in the fourth quarter as Villanova blew the game open. Maybe things go a lot different if there’s just four turnovers in each of those bookend periods because that’s really where VU did their damage here, but that also means that Marquette’s offense was just anemic for the middle 20 minutes when they were actually getting shots up.
Up Next: One final home game before one final road game to end the season. Marquette’s home slate wraps up this coming Wednesday night when Xavier comes to Milwaukee. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30pm Central time, and ESPN+ will have the broadcast. It will be Senior Night, so expect the pre-game festivities to get started pretty early before tipoff because Marquette has eight seniors listed on the roster. As for the Musketeers, they suffered a 76-67 loss to DePaul on Sunday to drop to 11-16 overall and 4-14 in the Big East.
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Jacob Bridgeman explained why he understandably missed USA hockey's gold medal win over Canada
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Jacob Bridgeman had some other things on his mind. Still, though, the USA vs. Canada gold medal Olympic game was on very early on the West Coast—5:10 a.m. PT puck drop. Kind of the perfect event to distract yourself from thinking about what was about to be the biggest day of your life.
But Bridgeman didn't want to be distracted. He allowed himself to think about winning the Genesis Invitational, which he led by six after 54 holes. Who wouldn't with that type of cushion? Barring a massive push by someone far behind him, and a mini collapse from Bridgeman, he was likely going to pick up his first PGA Tour victory in a signature event at Riviera Country Club. If you're not going to daydream about that a few hours before it happens, you don't have a pulse.
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"Maybe I'm different from other people, but I don't think I should try and forget about it or not realize what's going on," Bridgeman said after he won the Genesis Invitational by one stroke over Kurt Kitayama and Rory McIlroy. "The magnitude of the situation almost just makes me focus more. I wouldn't say I was super unsettled this morning, but I was definitely a little bit nervous. I slept well until about 6:30. Then I was trying to sleep till 7:30 and I had an hour where I just couldn't do anything. I was already up, my mind was going, I was ready to go."
Sounds like the perfect time to throw on a game, no? And not just any game, the one that basically united all of America on Sunday. Surely Bridgeman could have drawn some inspiration from watching Jack Hughes pot the game winner in overtime. Or from watching Connor Hellebuyck stand on his head, saving 41 of the 42 Canadian shots that came his way.
Bridgeman had so many other things on his mind that he didn't even realize the game was on.
"I didn't [watch]," he said. "I honestly thought it was a little bit later because yesterday when I was warming up in the truck we were watching Canada play, so I figured I would see it again in the truck this morning. Then Haley [Bridgeman's wife] said on the way to the course this morning that they won, which is great."
Yes, it was great, Jacob. But so is letting your mind drift to shaking the hand of tournament host Tiger Woods, who you grew up watching, and living out that image for real. If anyone was allowed to have tunnel vision on Sunday, it was Bridgeman.
He did miss a helluva game, though.
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Tyrese Haliburton shingles diagnosis: Why Pacers star guard will be away from team with painful illness
Tyrese Haliburton shingles diagnosis: Why Pacers star guard will be away from team with painful illness originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Tyrese Haliburton remains unlikely to see the court for the Indiana Pacers in the 2025-26 season due to the torn Achilles he suffered in last summer's Game 7 of the NBA Finals. But now, he's facing a bit more of a setback.
Haliburton, who has spent lots of time on the Pacers' sidelines this season in a player-coach type role, will be away from the team as of Sunday due to a recent diagnosis with shingles, head coach Rick Carlisle said.
The star guard is expected to make a "full recovery" from the viral infection, but he won't be around Indiana's team for some time.
Here's what to know about Tyrese Haliburton's shingles diagnosis.
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What is Tyrese Haliburton’s injury?
Haliburton was diagnosed with shingles, Carlisle said Sunday.
“He will likely make a full recovery,” Carlisle said before Sunday’s Pacers game against the Dallas Mavericks, per The Athletic. “This happened over the last few days. He was meeting us in D.C. and had some odd symptoms.
“It’s a unique case, a unique situation. I’ve talked to him a few times, and he’s always in a good mood, so he’ll get through it. But trying to survive at a high level without a guy like that is extremely difficult.”
What is shingles?
Shingles, according to Mayo Clinic, is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. It can occur anywhere on the body, and it "typically looks like a single stripe of blisters that wraps around the left side or the right side of your torso."
The infection is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox, the varicella-zoster virus. Shingles is not life-threatening, but can be painful, with vaccines helping lower the risk of it.
Symptoms include pain, burning or tingling; sensitivity to touch; a red rash that begins a few days after the pain; fluid-filled blisters that break open and crust over; and itching.
How long does it take to recover from shingles?
According to Cleveland Clinic, it can take three-to-five weeks from the time symptoms start until a shingles rash totally disappears. Other symptoms then get better within seven-to-10 days.
Most people who contract shingles get better without any complications, often by taking antivirals within three days of the start of symptoms.
How long will Haliburton be out?
Haliburton will be away from the Pacers for 2-3 weeks with his shingles diagnosis, Carlisle said. Once he's made a full recovery, he's expected to rejoin the team.
However, as for his torn Achilles, the expectation remains that Haliburton will not be playing in the remainder of the 2025-26 season, with the Pacers ranking among the worst teams in the Eastern Conference and eyeing a return to contention next fall.
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Bennett Durando: Christian Braun on Nuggets' clutch drop-off: "I think a lot of it this year has just been not holding our spots. Not being tough enough. ... It has nothing to do with our process down the stretch. It has nothing to do with anything besides, we need to hold our spots."
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: "I think a lot of it this year has just been not …
Dallas was unable to generate first-round draft interest for Daniel Gafford
Dallas, by contrast, was unable to generate the first-round pick it was seeking in trade talks for Daniel Gafford. Neither, sources say, could Sacramento with Domantas Sabonis.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Dallas was unable to generate first-round draft interest for Daniel Gafford