7A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018
CONTACT US
FOLLOW US
facebook.com/
DailyAstorianSports
Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
ghenley@dailyastorian.com
DIVINCENZO
MAKES IT RAIN
Nova tops Michigan 79-62 for title
By EDDIE PELLS
Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO — When
he wasn’t dribbling behind
his back, winking to the TV
announcers, stuffing shots or
dishing out assists, Villanova
guard Donte DiVincenzo was
making it rain.
First, 3-pointers.
Later on, confetti.
The redhead kid with the
nickname Big Ragu came off
the bench to make five 3s and
score 31 points Monday to lift
‘Nova to another blowout vic-
tory in the NCAA Tournament
— this time 79-62 over Michi-
gan for its second national title
in three seasons.
The sophomore guard had
12 points and an assist during a
first-half run to help the Wild-
cats (36-4) pull ahead, then
scored nine straight for Villa-
nova midway through the sec-
ond to snuff out the Wolverines.
He capped the second shooting
skein with a 3-pointer from a
step behind the arc. He punc-
tuated it with a knowing wink
over to the sideline, where TV
announcers Jim Nantz and Bill
Raftery were sitting.
Yep, he knew he could do it.
And his teammates were more
than willing to let him steal the
show.
“If someone’s hot, feed
‘em,” said Jalen Brunson, the
national Player of the Year,
who finished with nine points
and was perfectly fine with
playing a supporting role on
this night.
In taking the program’s
third overall title, Villanova
won all six games by double
digits over this tournament run,
joining Michigan State (2000),
Duke (2001) and North Caro-
lina (2009) in that rare air.
The last team to win its
two Final Four games by 16 or
more: UCLA in 1968. During
the dynasty.
One key question: Does Jay
Wright’s team belong on the
list of the best of all-time?
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
Villanova head coach Jay Wright celebrates with guard
Donte DiVincenzo.
Villanova’s 6th man
breaks out in starring
role vs Michigan
By RALPH D. RUSSO
Associated Press
AP Photo/Chris Steppig
Villanova’s Donte DiVincenzo goes up for a shot past Michigan’s Charles Matthews
during the second half in the championship game.
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
Villanova’s Donte DiVincenzo chases a loose ball against
Michigan’s Charles Matthews.
Maybe so, considering the
way Villanova dismantled
everyone in front of it in a tour-
nament that was dripping with
upsets, underdogs and at least
the appearance of parity.
Maybe so, considering the
Wildcats won in seemingly
every way imaginable. This
victory came two nights after
they set a Final Four record
with 18 3-pointers (they had 10
in this one), and one week after
they relied more on defense in
a win over Texas Tech in the
Elite Eight.
“We don’t really look at it
that way,” Wright said. “We
don’t look at it as, did we just
dominate that team? No. We
played well.”
And really, that debate’s for
later.
DiVincenzo squashed any
questions about this game with
a 10-for-15 shooting night
— 5 for 7 from 3 —that was,
frankly, better than that. He
was a no-doubt winner of the
Final Four’s most-outstand-
ing-player award.
With Michigan trying to
stay in striking range early
in the second half, he opened
his game-sealing run with an
around-the-back dribble to get
to the hoop and get fouled. On
the other end, he delivered a
two-handed rejection of Mich-
igan’s Charles Matthews —
his second block of the game,
to go with five rebounds and
three assists — when Mat-
thews tried to bring it into the
paint.
Happ, Springer reflect new breed of leadoff hitters
Associated Press
When Ian Happ hit the first
pitch the 2018 baseball season
for a home run, he gave open-
ing day an immediate highlight
— but the Chicago outfielder’s
shot wasn’t a total surprise.
Gone are the days when
leadoff batters were supposed
to be speedy singles hitters.
Now players like Happ — who
had 24 homers and only eight
stolen bases last year — fit the
mold.
There’s no longer much
debate about the importance
of on-base percentage, espe-
cially at the top of the lineup.
It helps to have baserunners
when the power hitters in the
middle of the order come up —
and stolen bases can actually
be more useful at the bottom
of the order, as a way of manu-
facturing runs with weaker hit-
ters. While it’s still nice to have
some speed in the No. 1 spot,
it’s by no means a requirement.
Happ’s home run gave the
Cubs an instant 1-0 lead over
Miami, and Houston’s George
Springer also hit a leadoff
homer against Texas on Thurs-
day. Even with the speedy Jose
Altuve on the roster, Springer
was the Astros’ main leadoff
hitter last season. He hit 34
homers and had only five steals
for the World Series champs.
Baltimore even put Chris
Davis atop the batting order
to start this season. Davis has
never stolen more than four
bases in a year. He’s known for
hitting home runs and draw-
ing walks, and he may need to
improve his low batting aver-
age (.215 last season) if he’s
going to last as a leadoff hitter.
He’s 0 for 12 to start 2018.
Here are a few more notes
from an abbreviated first week
around the major leagues:
OH YES
Shohei Ohtani won his
debut as a pitcher Sunday,
allowing three runs and three
hits in six innings for the Los
Angeles Angels in their game
at Oakland. He went 1 for 5
in his lone appearance as a
hitter.
EXTREME
MEASURES
four runs in the ninth, accord-
ing to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Texas slugger Joey Gallo,
who hit 41 home runs last sea-
son, faced a four-man outfield
at times in a series against the
Astros. He solved that by hit-
ting a home run over the shift
on Sunday.
Only 28 percent of Gal-
lo’s balls in play last year were
grounders, according to Fan-
graphs.com.
LINE OF THE WEEK
HARD LUCK
The Dodgers outscored the
Giants 14-2 in a four-game
series in Los Angeles — and
only came away with a split.
WILD INNING
Detroit and Pittsburgh were
tied 6-all heading into the ninth
in their season opener Friday.
Then each team scored four
runs before the game went
to extra innings. The Pirates
eventually won 13-10 in 13 .
Only twice previously had
a game gone to extra innings
after both teams scored exactly
SCOREBOARD
PREP SPORTS SCHEDULE
TODAY
Baseball — Scappoose at Astoria (Tapiola Park),
5 p.m.; Valley Catholic at Seaside, 5 p.m.; Knappa at
Colton, 4:30 p.m.
Softball — Astoria at Scappoose, 5 p.m.; Seaside at
Valley Catholic, 5 p.m.
Girls golf — Seaside at Valley Catholic, 1 p.m.
Boys golf — Seaside at Astoria, 2 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Baseball — Warrenton at Ilwaco, 4 p.m.; Knappa at
Horizon Christian, 4:30 p.m.
Softball — Dayton at Warrenton, 4:30 p.m.
THURSDAY
Baseball — Astoria at Scappoose, 5 p.m.; Seaside at
Matt Davidson of the Chi-
cago White Sox became the
fourth player to homer three
times on opening day, join-
ing George Bell (1988), Tuffy
Rhodes (1994) and Dmi-
tri Young (2005). Of the four
players to accomplish the feat,
three of them — including
Davidson — did it against the
Royals.
Valley Catholic, 5 p.m.; Gaston at Warrenton, 4:30 p.m.
Softball — Scappoose at Astoria, 5 p.m.; Valley Cath-
olic at Seaside, 5 p.m.
Track — Banks/Valley Catholic at Astoria, 3:30 p.m.;
Scappoose/Tillamook at Seaside, 3:30 p.m.; Lewis &
Clark League preview, Portland Christian, 3:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
Baseball — Clatskanie at Seaside, 5 p.m.; La Pine vs.
Knappa (Volcanoes Stadium), 4:30 p.m.
Boys golf — Seaside at Ridgeview, Noon
SATURDAY
Track — Daily Astorian Invitational, at Seaside HS, 10
a.m.
Baseball — Colton at Warrenton, Noon
HIGHLIGHT REEL
The Yankees may have their
lineup of home run hitters, but
Toronto’s Kevin Pillar showed
New York a different way of
getting around the bases.
SAN ANTONIO —
Donte DiVincenzo’s biggest
contribution to Villanova’s
2016 national championship
was made at practice, often
playing the role of the oppo-
nents’ best player.
The Michael Jordan of
Delaware, as his teammates
call him, has come a long
way from a redshirt fresh-
man season that was frus-
trating at times, but prob-
ably helped set the stage
for a bigger role toward
Villanova’s next national
championship.
DiVincenzo was the
breakout star of the NCAA
Tournament title game Mon-
day night, scoring a career-
high 31 points against Mich-
igan in a 79-62 victory that
gave the Wildcats two titles
in three seasons.
“Donte’s
willingness
to come off the bench this
year and be the sixth man
really separated us from
other teams. He was a sixth
starter,” Villanova coach Jay
Wright said. “He had a clear
head and he did whatever
we needed all year. Tonight
we needed 31. I didn’t think
we’d need him to do that but
he has done it, so we’ll take
it.”
When Villanova was
struggling with its shots early
in the first half, DiVincenzo
provided a wakeup call for
the Wildcats. He scored 16
and was the main reason
why the Wildcats were able
to erase an early seven-point
deficit against a Michigan
defense that was one of the
stingiest in the nation.
In the second half, when
Michigan tried to make a
move, DiVincenzo put down
the uprising with 11 straight
points and a wink toward the
sideline at his buddy and for-
mer Wildcats star Josh Hart,
who is in his rookie sea-
son with the Los Angeles
Clippers.
Ogunbowale puts stamp
on thrilling hoops season
By DOUG FEINBERG
Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio —
Arike Ogunbowale put an
exclamation point on a thrill-
ing women’s college basket-
ball season.
Her off-balance 3-pointer
in the title game capped a
record comeback by Notre
Dame and an incredible
weekend for the sport. The
Final Four got started with
two stirring overtime games
— the first time that’s hap-
pened. The weekend ended
with a historic champion-
ship game that left the sellout
crowd amazed.
“Phenomenal for wom-
en’s basketball. Three excit-
ing games. I hope the rat-
ings reflect it,” Notre Dame
coach Muffet McGraw said
after the 61-58 win Sunday
night. “The crowd was tre-
mendous tonight. Everybody
came back. Just an incred-
ible job by Columbus and
the local community. Great
support for women’s basket-
ball and definitely one of the
best Final Fours since 2001,
right?”
That was the only other
time McGraw and the Fight-
ing Irish cut down the nets.
It’s been even longer since
a title game came down to a
last-second shot. Ogunbow-
ale’s 3-pointer was just the
second last-second shot that
won a championship game.
North Carolina great Char-
lotte Smith made a 3-pointer
at the buzzer in 1994 that
lifted the Tar Heels to an
improbable one-point win
over Louisiana Tech.
“This was the best Final
Four in terms of play on
the court we’ve ever seen,”
ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo
said. “I can’t think of another
Final Four that was better
than this. It showcased wom-
en’s basketball at its absolute
best. So many years we’ve
had a great semifinal game
and the final was a disap-
pointment. This one wasn’t.”
The Final Four belonged
to Ogunbowale and the Irish.