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SPORTS WEEKEND, MARCH 17-18, 2018 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS NCAA Women’s Tournament Gulich helps Beavers rout Hilltoppers By RHIANNON POTKEY Associated Press AP Photo/Wade Payne Oregon State center Marie Gulich (21) looks to pass as she’s defended by Western Kentucky forward Ivy Brown (23) and Tashia Brown in a first-round game in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament on Friday in Knoxville, Tenn. First Round KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Nobody is happier than Marie Gulich to see her Oregon State teammates draining 3-pointers. The 6-foot-5 senior knows oppo- nents will have to pick their poison against the Beavers. If they focus on Gulich, OSU’s guards can take over. If they extend to the perimeter, Gulich will have a field day inside. Gulich scored 21 of her 29 points in the second half and grabbed 15 rebounds as No. 6 seed Oregon State beat No. 11 Western Kentucky 82-58 in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Friday. The Beavers built their lead with #11 WKU #6 Oregon State 58 82 3-pointers, and Gulich cemented the win with a closing flury. “It takes a lot of pressure off of me and puts a lot of pressure on the defense because they can’t double me anymore, which is good for me because I can play one-on-one,” said Gulich, who finished 11 for 15 from the field. “And it’s good for me because if I get doubled I can kick it out and they can make shots from outside. I think it’s just a perfect chemistry between all of us.” Oregon State (24-7) plays the winner of the Tennessee-Liberty game in the second round of the Lexington Regional on Sunday. The Beavers are attempting to reach their third straight Sweet 16. The national leaders in 3-point field goal percentage, OSU used its precision from distance to build an early advantage. The Beavers began gaining separa- tion midway through the first quarter with an 11-0 run that gave OSU a 21-9 lead. Sophomore guard Kat Tudor sparked the outburst by scoring eight straight points, including back- to-back 3-pointers. OSU’s defense forced WKU into See BEAVERS/2B NCAA Men’s Tournament Prep Roundup Bucks shut out by Spartans Pendleton manages only four hits East Oregonian HILLSBORO — After pushing across 15 runs and allowing just one run in its season opener, the Pendleton Buckaroos’ second game showed Softball there is still work to do. T h e Buckaroos Pendleton managed only four hits as they were shut out 9-0 by the Hillsboro Hillsboro Spartans on Friday afternoon in a non-league game. “Tough game for us but a good learning experience,” Pendleton coach Tim Cary said. “We say a very good pitcher for Hillsboro. You hate to take a loss, but at the same time there’s a lot of things we can learn from the loss so hopefully it was a good learning day for us.” Carissa Cooley had the only multi-hit game for the Buckaroos (1-1) with a single and a double, while Kirah McGlothan and Lauren Richards each had one hit. Richards pitched all six innings for the Bucks. Hillsboro had four extra- base hits as a team, led by MacKenzie Staub’s home run. Payton Goodrich pitched the seven shutout innings. UP NEXT Pendleton hosts La Grande on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. ———— 0 9 AP Photo/Gerry Broome UMBC’s K.J. Maura (11) drives past Virginia’s Devon Hall (0) during the second half of a first-round game in the NCAA men’s college bas- ketball tournament in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, March 16, 2018. March Madness in full swing UMBC makes history as first No. 16 seed to oust a No. 1 by routing Virginia By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It finally happened — a 16 ousting a 1 in March Madness. The University of Maryland-Bal- timore County stunned the college basketball world by pulling off the most shocking upset in men’s NCAA Tournament history, hammering Virginia 75-54 on Friday night to become the first No. 16 seed ever to beat a No. 1 seed. Virginia entered the NCAA Tournament as tourney favorites — the No. 1 overall seed after going 31-2 this season, including 20-1 in ACC competition. And really, who was UMBC anyway — a team most glanced over, or simply didn’t know when they filled out their NCAA bracket? But UMBC didn’t just beat First Round #16 UMBC #1 Virginia 74 54 Virginia, it dominated throughout the second half. Senior guard Jairus Lyles scored 28 points and the Retreivers cruised to an easy victory before racing off the floor together in their yellow-and-black uniforms with one finger pointed toward the sky. “These are the moments that you dream of,” Lyles said. Chaminade’s 77-72 stunner over Ralph Sampson and then No. 1-ranked Cavaliers in 1982 in Hawaii was generally considered the most remarkable upset in college See MADNESS/2B AP Photo/Gerry Broome UMBC players celebrate a teammate’s basket against Virginia during the second half of a first-round game in the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament in Charlotte, N.C. on Friday. R H E PHS 000 000 0 — 0 4 0 HHS 000 324 X — 9 9 2 (P) L. Richards and K. Solomon. (H) P. Goodrich and K. McCrea. W — Goodrich, L — Richards. 2B — C. Cooley (PHS); Z. Richman, N. Dold, N. Johnson (HHS). HR — M. Staub (HHS). See PREP ROUNDUP/3B Sports shorts Warriors’ Durant out two weeks OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Kevin Durant will miss at least two weeks with a fractured rib on his right side, joining fellow All-Stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on the injury list for the defending champion Golden State Warriors. An MRI exam Friday revealed the incomplete fracture and the Warriors said Durant would be re-evaluated in two weeks. Durant said he got hit in the ribs at Minnesota last Sunday and initially thought it was just a bruise but he was sore the next couple of days. He played Wednesday night Durant against the Lakers and felt it again when he hustled to close out on the wing and “felt something stretch and pull.” Curry missed his fourth straight game Friday after re-injuring his troublesome right ankle and will be examined on Tuesday. Thompson has a fractured right thumb and will be examined again next Thursday. “We got our guy. We got the guy that was our target ... As far as leadership qualities, the grit that he has, the way that he plays the game, the way that he competes, he was the perfect fit for us.“ — John Elway Denver Broncos general manager on new QB Case Keenum, who the team signed to a two-year, $36 million free agent contract. The team introduced Keenum at a news conference on Friday. Report: Astros, Altuve agree to 5-year $151 million extension (AP) — A person familiar with the negotia- tions says AL MVP Jose Altuve and the World Series champion Houston Astros have agreed to a contract that guarantees him an additional $151 million over five seasons from 2020-24. The 27-year-old second baseman is earning $6 million this year under the first option exercised by Houston in a deal he agreed to in 2013 that originally guaranteed $12.5 million from Altuve 2014-17. He would have been eligible for free agency after the 2019 season. The average annual value of the new money is $30.2 million, among baseball’s highest. The 5-foot-6 Altuve hit .346 last season to win his second straight AL batting title and third in four seasons. He had 24 homers, 82 RBIs and 32 stolen bases THIS DATE IN SPORTS 2001 — Connecticut cruises to a 101-29 win over Long Island University in the first round of the East Regional, the best defensive effort in the history of the women’s NCAA tournament. Connecticut’s 72-point victory also ties the second-biggest margin in tournament history. 2006 — Jermaine Wallace hits a fadeaway 3-pointer with a split second left, and little Northwestern State pulls off a shocker with a furious rally, beating No. 3 seed Iowa 64-63 in the first round of the men’s NCAA tournament. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com