DiVincenzo Powers Nova to Another Title
The Villanova Wildcats may have been many people's favorite to win it all since before the tournament, and they definitely were heading into the National Championship Game. Although, it took a while for them to find their groove and pull away from the red hot Michigan Wolverines at the Alamodome on Monday, but they turned to Donte DiVincenzo to do just that. DiVincenzo scored 31 points off the bench to help the top-seeded Wildcats pull away for a 79-62 win over the third-seeded Wolverines. The win gives the Wildcats their second title in three seasons, as DiVincenzo was awarded the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player after the game. The sophomore came off the bench to shoot 10-of-15 from the floor, as Villanova pulled away by putting up 42 points after halftime. The National Champions won all six tournament games by double digits, joining the 2000 Michigan State Spartans, 2001 Duke Blue Devils, and 2009 North Carolina Tar Heels as the only teams to do so and win it all. This came just two nights after they set a Final Four record with 18 made three-pointers in a rout of the Kansas Jayhawks. They did shoot just 37 percent from beyond the arc in Monday's big win, but they were able to hold the streaky Wolverines to a 17 percent mark from downtown. After a close, back and forth beginning to the game, Villanova used a 23-7 run to being to push away by halftime, which they sealed in the final 20 minutes, keeping Michigan head coach, John Beilein, without a National Title.
Astros Top Orioles After Raising World Series Banner
It may have taken a while for the Houston Astros to reveal their 2017 World Series banner at Minute Maid Park, but it did not take long for them to take care of the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night. After their championship ceremony, the Astros jumped early and often on the Orioles for a 6-1 win in their home opener. Charlie Morton threw six scoreless innings, while Marwin Gonzalez went deep, helping the Astros celebrate their first World Series title. Morton struck out six and allowed just three hits against the Orioles, who are off to a tough 1-3 start to their season. Chris Tillman suffered the loss for the O's after allowing four runs on seven hits in four-plus innings. The Astros' starters are not having any issues, as they have a 1.76 ERA and 36 strikeouts in five games this year. Brad Peacock, Will Harris, and Collin McHugh came out of the bullpen to shut things down on the night. Derek Fisher drove in two to support that staff, while Jose Altuve, George Springer, and Alex Bregman all knocked in runs on the night. Trey Mancini's ninth-inning long ball was the lone source of offense from the Orioles. The Astros and Orioles will continue this three-game series on Tuesday night, before wrapping it up on Wednesday afternoon.
Diamondbacks Rally Twice For 15-Inning Win
The Arizona Diamondbacks seem to always play an extended game early on in their first homestand, and Monday night was just that for them. After Chris Owings forced extra innings with a game-tying, three-run home run in the ninth, the D-backs scored twice in the 15th inning to edge the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-7. After Chase Utley gave Los Angeles the lead with an RBI single in the top half of the inning, Nick Ahmed tied things with a double of his own, before Jeff Mathis ended things with a walk-off RBI single. This ended what was the longest game in Chase Field history, beating out a matchup with the St. Louis Cardinals that went 16 innings. That game lasted five hours and 32 minutes, but Monday's contest took five hours and 46 minutes. Fernando Salas threw three innings of relief to earn the win for Arizona, while Wilmer Font took the loss for the Dodgers, despite going four scoreless innings before giving up the winning run. Kenley Jansen suffered the blown save by surrendering the home run to Owings, which was his first blown save of the season, He was not too worried about it after the game, saying "it's just one game." Jansen had just one blow save in 42 opportunities last season. The Dodgers have already dropped three games this season, while the D-backs improved to 3-1 on the young season. These two teams have two more games in the series, including Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon.
The Villanova Wildcats may have been many people's favorite to win it all since before the tournament, and they definitely were heading into the National Championship Game. Although, it took a while for them to find their groove and pull away from the red hot Michigan Wolverines at the Alamodome on Monday, but they turned to Donte DiVincenzo to do just that. DiVincenzo scored 31 points off the bench to help the top-seeded Wildcats pull away for a 79-62 win over the third-seeded Wolverines. The win gives the Wildcats their second title in three seasons, as DiVincenzo was awarded the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player after the game. The sophomore came off the bench to shoot 10-of-15 from the floor, as Villanova pulled away by putting up 42 points after halftime. The National Champions won all six tournament games by double digits, joining the 2000 Michigan State Spartans, 2001 Duke Blue Devils, and 2009 North Carolina Tar Heels as the only teams to do so and win it all. This came just two nights after they set a Final Four record with 18 made three-pointers in a rout of the Kansas Jayhawks. They did shoot just 37 percent from beyond the arc in Monday's big win, but they were able to hold the streaky Wolverines to a 17 percent mark from downtown. After a close, back and forth beginning to the game, Villanova used a 23-7 run to being to push away by halftime, which they sealed in the final 20 minutes, keeping Michigan head coach, John Beilein, without a National Title.
Astros Top Orioles After Raising World Series Banner
It may have taken a while for the Houston Astros to reveal their 2017 World Series banner at Minute Maid Park, but it did not take long for them to take care of the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night. After their championship ceremony, the Astros jumped early and often on the Orioles for a 6-1 win in their home opener. Charlie Morton threw six scoreless innings, while Marwin Gonzalez went deep, helping the Astros celebrate their first World Series title. Morton struck out six and allowed just three hits against the Orioles, who are off to a tough 1-3 start to their season. Chris Tillman suffered the loss for the O's after allowing four runs on seven hits in four-plus innings. The Astros' starters are not having any issues, as they have a 1.76 ERA and 36 strikeouts in five games this year. Brad Peacock, Will Harris, and Collin McHugh came out of the bullpen to shut things down on the night. Derek Fisher drove in two to support that staff, while Jose Altuve, George Springer, and Alex Bregman all knocked in runs on the night. Trey Mancini's ninth-inning long ball was the lone source of offense from the Orioles. The Astros and Orioles will continue this three-game series on Tuesday night, before wrapping it up on Wednesday afternoon.
Diamondbacks Rally Twice For 15-Inning Win
The Arizona Diamondbacks seem to always play an extended game early on in their first homestand, and Monday night was just that for them. After Chris Owings forced extra innings with a game-tying, three-run home run in the ninth, the D-backs scored twice in the 15th inning to edge the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-7. After Chase Utley gave Los Angeles the lead with an RBI single in the top half of the inning, Nick Ahmed tied things with a double of his own, before Jeff Mathis ended things with a walk-off RBI single. This ended what was the longest game in Chase Field history, beating out a matchup with the St. Louis Cardinals that went 16 innings. That game lasted five hours and 32 minutes, but Monday's contest took five hours and 46 minutes. Fernando Salas threw three innings of relief to earn the win for Arizona, while Wilmer Font took the loss for the Dodgers, despite going four scoreless innings before giving up the winning run. Kenley Jansen suffered the blown save by surrendering the home run to Owings, which was his first blown save of the season, He was not too worried about it after the game, saying "it's just one game." Jansen had just one blow save in 42 opportunities last season. The Dodgers have already dropped three games this season, while the D-backs improved to 3-1 on the young season. These two teams have two more games in the series, including Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon.
