Tuesday March 28th Local Sports

GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA — It will be Iowa against top ranked and unbeaten South Carolina in the Women’s Final Four in Dallas Friday night. The defending champion Gamecocks took control in the second quarter to beat Maryland 86-75, Monday night in Greenville, South Carolina. South Carolina takes a 36-0 record into the Final Four

That’s South Carolina coach Dawn Staley who was not ready to preview Iowa after Monday’s game.

It’s South Carolina’s third straight trip to the Final Four and their fifth in eight years.

Tipoff on Friday night is scheduled for about 8:30, and you can hear the game on AM-1300 KGLO.

 

 

 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Jaden McDaniels scored 20 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves spoiled Sacramento’s hopes for a clinching party by beating the Kings 119-115 on Monday night. The Kings were hoping to end the longest playoff drought in NBA history in front of their fans, but sent them home unhappy. The Timberwolves won their fourth straight and completed a sweep of a back-to-back set at Golden State and Sacramento to tie the Warriors for sixth place in the Western Conference playoff race. Minnesota wasn’t fazed by the frenzied sellout crowd and pulled away in the fourth quarter for the win.

 

 

 

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Matt Boldy had his second hat trick in the last five games, Marc-Andre Fleury made 35 saves, and the surging Minnesota Wild beat the Seattle Kraken 5-1. Jake Middleton and Ryan Hartman also had goals and Jared Spurgeon, Marcus Johansson and Joel Eriksson Ek each had two assists apiece for the Wild. They took a one-point lead in the Central Division on both Colorado and Dallas into the day. Boldy has 11 goals in nine games since superstar Kirill Kaprizov suffered a lower-body injury. The Wild are 6-1-2 without Kaprizov. Jaden Schwartz ended Fleury’s shutout bid with 9 minutes left, scoring on a bouncing rebound that banked in off the goalie and into the net.

 

 

 

IOWA CITY — Wide receiver and offensive line have been two trouble spots for Iowa’s struggling offense and both areas lack depth at the start of spring drills. Ankeny native Brody Brecht announced he is stepping away to concentrate on baseball and injuries have left the Hawkeyes short on wideouts.

That’s Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. The offensive line struggled last season for one of the nation’s worst offenses and while that unit has experience, many of the players are sidelined this spring.

Despite being thin up front this spring Ferentz believes the offensive line will be improved next season.

The Hawkeyes finished 8-5 last season.

 

 

 

AMES — Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell says the Cyclones aren’t changing their style of offense but are hoping for better results. Campbell fired offensive coordinator Tom Manning after a 4-8 season in which the Cyclones finished at the bottom of the Big 12 in scoring and total offense. Nate Scheelhaase was promoted to offensive coordinator.

Campbell says they have looked at all facets of how the play offense.

Campbell says they did a deep dive into the offense.

The Cyclones close spring drills on April 22nd.

 

 

MASON CITY — Coming off of a weekend split at a ranked DMACC team, the NIACC softball team has re-entered the national Division II rankings at #20 this week. NIACC was previously ranked 17th in the February 27th poll, 15th in the March 6th poll, and 18th in the March 13th rankings. DMACC on Friday took the first game of a doubleheader 10-4 with NIACC taking the second 6-5. On Saturday, the Bears won 12-11 in nine innings and NIACC took the nightcap 8-2. Murray State continues to be the top-ranked team, followed by Phoenix Community College being second. DMACC drops from third to sixth in this week’s rankings. Kirkwood is up one spot to seventh, while Iowa Lakes is receiving votes. NIACC is scheduled to host Iowa Central in a four-game series this weekend.