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Caitlin Clark is the best scorer in women’s basketball this season. And now, she’s also the best scorer in the history of NCAA Division I basketball. 

With a free throw late in the first half vs. Ohio State on March 3, Clark passed Pete Maravich of LSU with her 3,668th point to become the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I, regardless of gender. It happened in front of her childhood hero, former WNBA MVP Maya Moore, and numerous celebs took to Twitter to congratulate her on the milestone.

This comes after Feb. 15 vs. Michigan, when Clark broke the women’s NCAA Division I record set in 2017 by Washington’s Kelsey Plum. Fittingly, it came when Clark hit a logo 3 with 7:48 left in the first quarter. She finished with a career-high 49 points, and congratulations poured in from all over the sports world.

On Feb. 28, in a blowout win over Minnesota, Clark passed Lynette Woodard, who set the all-time women’s college scoring record at Kansas from 1977-81 when she scored 3,649 points for the Jayhawks. The NCAA didn’t run women’s basketball then, which means Woodard’s record has been confined to the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) record books. 

Both records would be impressive feats for the senior All-American who led Iowa to the national championship game in April after being named the consensus national player of the year. Clark is expected to be the 2024 national player of the year, too. 

How many points did Caitlin Clark score in Iowa’s last game?

vs. Ohio State, March 3: On Senior Day at Carver Hawkeye Arena, Caitlin Clark scored 35 in Iowa’s 93-83 win over Ohio State. She added nine assists, six rebounds and three steals. She has 3,685 points heading into this week’s Big Ten Tournament.

How many career points has Caitlin Clark scored?

Caitlin Clark has 3,685 career points (and counting!) after scoring 35 vs. Ohio State

Caitlin Clark’s next game on TV?

Clark and Iowa will return to the court Friday when they play in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Conference Tournament in Minneapolis. They will tip at 6:30 ET on Big Ten Network. The championship game will be broadcast on CBS on Sunday, March 10 at 12 p.m. ET.

The Big Ten Tournament is single-elimination, so if Clark & Co. lose, they’re done until the NCAA tournament starts. Iowa is expected to earn a top-4 seed and host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. All NCAA tournament games will be broadcast on ESPN’s family of networks.

What is Caitlin Clark’s shooting percentage?

In a word: impressive. Clark is currently connecting on 46.5% of her shots and 38.2% from 3-point range, eye-popping when you consider the attention she demands from defenses. Her ability to score consistently from long-range is especially impressive considering that she takes so many 3s from 25 feet or deeper (the college 3-point line is 22 feet, 1.75 inches).

How many points does Caitlin Clark average per game?

Through 28 games in the 2023-24 season, Clark is averaging 32.3 points. Over her career, she’s averaged 28.3 points.

One of the most impressive parts of Clark’s game is that she’s averaged more points each season. Here’s how it breaks down:

Freshman year: 26.6 points
Sophomore year: 27.0 points
Junior year: 27.8 points
Senior year: 32.3 points

What is Caitlin Clark’s highest-scoring game?

Clark’s highest-scoring game came on Feb. 16, 2024, when she dropped 49 points vs. Michigan in Iowa’s 106-89 win. It wasn’t just her single-game career high, but also a program record for single game scoring. Additionally, she handed out 13 assists and grabbed five rebounds, the 58th double-double of her career.

Caitlin Clark game log

Here’s a breakdown of Clark’s scoring this season for the Hawkeyes:

vs. Ohio State, 3/3/24: 35 points
at Minnesota, 2/28/24: 33 points
vs. Illinois, 2/25/24: 24 points
at Indiana, 2/22/24: 24 points
vs. Michigan, 2/15/24: 49 points (career-high)
at Nebraska, 2/11/24: 31 points
vs. Penn State, 2/8/24: 27 points
at Maryland, 2/3/24: 38 points
at Northwestern, 1/31/24: 35 points
vs. Nebraska, 1/27/2024: 38 points
at Ohio State, 1/21/2024: 45 points
vs. Wisconsin, 1/16/2024: 32 points
vs. Indiana, 1/13/2024: 30 points
at Purdue, 1/10/2024: 26 points
at Rutgers, 1/5/2024: 29 points
vs. Michigan State, 1/2/2024: 40 points
vs. Minnesota, 12/30/2023: 35 points
vs. Loyola Chicago, 12/21/2023: 35 points
vs. Cleveland State, 12/16/2023: 38 points
at Wisconsin, 12/10/2023: 28 points
vs. Iowa State, 12/6/2023: 35 points
vs. Bowling Green, 12/2/2023: 24 points
vs. Kansas State, 11/26/2023: 32 points
vs. Florida Gulf Coast, 11/25/2023: 21 points
vs. Purdue Fort Wayne, 11/24/2023: 29 points
vs. Drake, 11/19/2023: 35 points
vs. Kansas State, 11/16/2023: 24 points
at UNI, 11/12/2023: 24 points
vs. Virginia Tech, 11/9/2023: 44 points
vs. FDU, 11/6/2023: 28 points

Who is Pete Maravich, men’s NCAA all-time leading scorer?

The NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich of LSU, was a shooting, dribbling and passing whiz who dominated the college game during his three seasons in Baton Rouge.

The son of Tigers coach Press Maravich averaged an astounding 44.2 points per game for his career, finishing with an NCAA record 3,667.

Unlike Clark, Maravich did not have the advantage of the 3-point shot, which was universally implemented by the NCAA for the 1987 season. He also accumulated his record-setting point total in just three seasons of college basketball.

Who is Lynette Woodard, women’s college basketball’s previous all-time leading scorer?

Woodard is a Wichita, Kansas, native and after her high school playing days, she arrived at the University of Kansas in 1977.

Woodard was the captain and second-leading scorer for the United States as Team USA took the gold medal in basketball at the 1984 Olympic games in Los Angeles. A year later, she became the first woman ever to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.

When Woodard started playing college basketball, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was the governing body for women’s college sports. The NCAA did not start sponsoring women’s sports until 1982, holding the first NCAA women’s tournament that season.

Because Woodard’s 3,639 career points at Kansas predates the NCAA’s sponsor of women’s sports, her stats and records are not found or recognized in the NCAA’s official record books.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

For a player to score 40,000 points in the NBA, it requires about 14,660 made shots, including 2,380 3-pointers and 8,300 made free throws in 55,600 minutes over 1,475 games while shooting 50.5% from the field over the course of 21 seasons.

For a commoner to score 40,000 points doing the Mikan drill on their driveway basket, they would need to make 20,000 shots, which would take about 17 hours of continuous shooting without a miss.

There are multiple ways to put into perspective LeBron James’ unprecedented accomplishment of 40,000 points, which he reached Saturday night against the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets to extend his NBA record for all-time points, while putting even more distance between him and No. 2 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387).

By season’s end, the Los Angeles Lakers’ forward will have about as many points as Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas combined.

If you split James’ career in half – take his first 10 seasons and his next 11 seasons – you have two Hall of Fame careers. He scored 21,081 points in his first 10 seasons, which would make him the No. 41 all-time scorer, and every player who is no longer active with at least 21,000 points is in the Hall of Fame, except Vince Carter who is a finalist this year in his first year of eligibility.

If you take James’ past 11 seasons, he has 18,910 points, which still puts him in the top 70 at No. 66, just behind Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen’s 18,940 points.

Think of all the points the Golden State Warriors scored from 2014-15 to 2017-18 when they won three titles with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant on rosters. In those four seasons, they totaled 37,244 points. Singled-handedly, James has scored more points than a dynasty did over four seasons.

What draws a chuckle – and just because the Lakers have had so many great players – is that James is just No. 13 on the Lakers’ all-time scoring list in his six seasons.

When he scored 31 points earlier this season, he became the first player to have 30-point games separated by at least 20 years.

And he is on pace to become just the second player to score at least 1,600 points in his rookie season and at least 1,600 points at 39 years old, joining, yes of course, Michael Jordan.

Averaging 25.2 points this season – four more than his rookie season – James will become the oldest player to score more than 20.6 points per game in a season, and if he averages at least 20 points next season, he will become the first player 40 or older to hit that mark.

Among James’ scoring records and achievements, his streak of 1,204 consecutive games with at least 10 points is one of the most underrated and underappreciated. He last scored fewer than 10 points on Jan. 6, 2007 with eight points against Milwaukee. Every game since then, at least 10 points. Jordan is No. 2 on the list with 866 consecutive games with 10 or more points, and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid is next active player on the list at 169 games. Like Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game, it’s difficult to see anyone touching that record.

Making it more impressive, he’s never been one-dimensional. James has accumulated a record number of points while also accumulating an astounding amount of assists. He is No. 4 on the all-time assists list behind Chris Paul and has an outside chance to pass Paul depending on how much longer both play. James is the only player in the top four in both all-time points and assists and just one other player is in the top 20 – Oscar Robertson at No. 8 in assists and No. 14 in scoring.  

James’ production of points directly through scoring or indirectly through assists spotlights the unique offensive player he is. And it’s been on display from his first game in 2003 when he had 25 points and nine assists through Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers when he had 34 points and eight assists, accounting for 77% of the Lakers’ points in a fourth-quarter comeback – 19 points scored and four assists creating 11 points.

At 39 years old, James just isn’t hanging on for the final few chapters of his career. His imprint on the game remains significant. You can parse and compare, dissect and examine, and it all leads back to the same conclusion.

There has never been an all-time like LeBron James and there will never be another like him.

Follow NBA columnist Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

You didn’t really think Gonzaga would miss the NCAA Tournament, did you?

The Bulldogs’ presence in the big dance hasn’t been certain nearly all season, but Gonzaga won’t have to worry about missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998 after it convincingly beat Saint Mary’s on the road 70-57. Saturday’s victory marked the Bulldogs’ third Quad 1 win of the season and gives them all the momentum heading into the West Coast Conference tournament.

To start February, Gonzaga was coming off a narrow home loss to the Gaels and sported a 16-6 record and no Quad 1 wins. Since then, the Zags have won eight straight games while picking up three Quad 1 wins in the process, capping it off by being the first WCC squad to beat Saint Mary’s this season. Gonzaga has gone from being one of the last teams in, in the latest USA TODAY Sports Bracketology prediction, to a team that is capable of making some serious noise in the big dance.

It couldn’t be stressed enough that this week was the biggest one of the season for the Bulldogs with San Francisco and Saint Mary’s on the road to close out the regular season. Gonzaga ripped apart the Dons in the second half for an 18-point win, and the Zags pounced on the Gaels early and never let go. Forward Graham Ike put up a monster showing with 24 points and 10 rebounds, leading a team that put up 46 points in the paint. At one point, Gonzaga led by 19 points.

This may not be the usual top seed Gonzaga team every college basketball fan has come to know, but this team never wavered in its capabilities. 

‘We still control our destiny. We know that,’ Ike told USA TODAY Sports two weeks ago.

No, it isn’t official just yet, and Gonzaga didn’t even win a share of the regular season conference title for the first time since 2011-12. But it can be guaranteed not many teams would want to see this team as its first round matchup in the bracket. The Zags are hot, and regardless of what happens in Las Vegas next week, they should sleep well knowing they’ll make the NCAA Tournament for an astonishing 26th-straight time, and that’s why they lead Saturday’s winners and losers on the bubble.

WINNERS

Villanova

Heading into Saturday, Villanova had lost seven straight games against Quad 1 opponents and was one of the first four teams projected to miss the NCAA Tournament. Providence didn’t waste time getting its shooting started, catching fire on 3-pointers in the first half and, at one point, led by seven points in a raucous Amica Mutual Pavilion.

But whatever Kyle Neptune said at the break worked. Down by three, Villanova started the second half on an 18-2 run and made 13 total 3-pointers that Providence would never recover from, leading the Wildcats to a 71-60 victory and their second win of the season over the Friars. 

Less than one month ago, Villanova was 12-11 and well on its way to missing the tournament again. But since then, it has won five of six with victories over fellow bubble teams like Butler, Seton Hall and now Providence, something that will certainly be under consideration from the selection committee. 

The road to securing a spot in March Madness doesn’t get easier for the Wildcats; they have to face Seton Hall on the road next before hosting Creighton. But in what is such a pivotal stretch, getting any Quad 1 win is a plus, and Saturday could be a reason why Villanova makes the tournament for the first time under Neptune.

Boise State

The Mountain West may be on its way to sending six teams to the tournament … or four of those teams could be out of the picture entirely in a couple of weeks.

In short: every game between contenders could be the difference between who is in and who is out, and the big winner in the conference on Saturday was Boise State, which topped New Mexico 89-79 at home. After going neck-and-neck in the first half, the Broncos caught fire by shooting 57.1% in the last 20 minutes.

Entering the day, New Mexico was No. 25 in the NET rankings, just one spot ahead of Boise State, and they were both a 10-seed in the projected bracket. By the end of the weekend, the Broncos should leapfrog the Lobos in the NET rankings, which would make them the second-highest rated Mountain West team in the NET rankings. Most importantly, Saturday’s win keeps Boise State in a tie for first in the conference, and for a team that is projected to be a double-digit seed, gaining a share of the regular season title could solidify a tournament spot, regardless of what happens in the conference tournament.

Pittsburgh

With other ACC bubble schools tumbling in epic fashion, the Panthers didn’t waste the opportunity to stand out from the others with a dominant 25-point victory at Boston College.

No, there really isn’t much to gloat about when you beat a team hanging in the basement of the ACC. But Pittsburgh has been shaky since it got stomped by Wake Forest a few weeks ago. As a result, the Panthers were among the first four teams projected to miss the field, but they could move up a couple of spots, or possibly slide into the tournament field outright, as a result of what happened in the conference. The slate is easy to wrap up the regular season, but if teams above them continue to falter, Pittsburgh could be the beneficiary.

Colorado State

The Rams can finally feel a sense of relief after holding off a pesky Wyoming team.

Colorado State emerged as a Mountain West title contender in the beginning of February, but the wheels began to fall off when it lost its third in a row after a heartbreaking, buzzer-beating loss to Nevada. This time around, it led for nearly all of the contest against the Cowboys and picked up a 70-62 victory.

While it isn’t a major victory – Wyoming was a Quad 4 team – Colorado State needed a win as it began to plummet down the projected bracket, currently one of three Mountain West teams projected as a No. 10 seed. It also keeps the Rams in contention of getting at least the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament, which means a first-round bye and avoiding a top-three seed until at least the semifinals. 

The Mountain West is no easy conference to be in, and Colorado State still has a chance to pick up a solid seed in the NCAA Tournament, as long as it doesn’t fall into any traps.

Teams hanging on by a thread

For some teams, a win on Saturday was needed just to be worthy of consideration in the coming weeks. A loss would all but certainly eliminate them from any future bracket projections.

So consider Butler, Texas A&M, Cincinnati, Utah and Mississippi still alive. 

Butler got the worst of the Big East in DePaul and didn’t waste any chance it had by dispatching the Blue Demons to end its five-game losing streak. Texas A&M also ended a five-game skid by pulling away from Georgia in the second half. Cincinnati avoided a late collapse against Kansas State thanks to a late 3-pointer. Utah ran away from California in the second half to sweep the Bay Area schools. Lastly, Ole Miss held off SEC-winless Missouri to get its second win in eight games. 

There were no tournament-altering wins for any of the teams mentioned, but with the way the season was turning for them, picking up any win keeps faint hopes alive. So congratulations to the Bulldogs, Aggies, Utes, Bearcats and Rebels, you live to fight another week.

LOSERS

Providence

It looked like such a promising start for Providence. It felt like it rarely missed a 3-pointer and had an answer for anything Villanova put up in the first 20 minutes.

But then the second half started, and the Friars went ice cold. After shooting 53.8% from the field with seven 3-pointers in the first half, Providence shot a horrid 26.9% and made only three shots beyond the arc as it was handed a disappointing 11-point loss.

Providence doesn’t have a bad résumé when it comes to qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, but it has to pick up wins when facing other squads in the same position, especially when some of the recent wins haven’t been anything to gloat about. The Friars were projected to be one of the last four teams in to make the tournament, but after Saturday’s loss, they likely could see themselves on the outside looking in.

Oregon

Oregon may have quickly risen into NCAA Tournament consideration, but it may fall just as fast after the shellacking it took from Arizona.

One of the first teams projected to miss the tournament, the Ducks stood no chance against the Arizona buzzsaw Saturday, falling behind early and unable to pull itself out of a hole in a 103-83 defeat. 

It was a tall task for Dana Altman’s team to go into Tucson and beat a Wildcats team that has only lost at home three times in the past three seasons, but a win was necessary when Oregon just entered the conversation as a fringe tournament contender. It only took 10 minutes for Arizona to build up a 17-point lead, and at one point, the Wildcats led by 28.

The Oregon offense did have a good second half, putting up 53 points in the final frame, but it doesn’t mean much when the defense lets the other team make a season-high 14 3-pointers and record a shooting percentage of 61%. 

Not all hope is lost for Oregon; it has another Quad 1 opportunity against Colorado next week. But what happened against Arizona might hurt the Ducks too much to recover from.

Mississippi State

Mississippi State has been able to show it can keep up with some of the top teams in the SEC, but anyone that watched what happened in Neville Arena on Saturday saw the Bulldogs had no answer for Auburn.

The Tigers quickly pounced on Mississippi State, getting out to as much as a 19-point lead in the first half, going wire-to-wire in a 78-63 win over a team that entered the week blazing hot. In the first half, the Bulldogs shot 27.6% and had more turnovers (10) than made shots (8). Mississippi State looked more of the tournament team it had become in the second half, but the deficit was too big for it to catch up.

Saturday’s defeat marks two missed opportunities for the Bulldogs this week with two Quad 1 losses after they narrowly fell to Kentucky on Tuesday. There isn’t a need for panic at the moment in Starkville with Mississippi State projected to be a No. 8 seed, but it’ll need to come up big against Texas A&M and South Carolina next week to avoid plummeting down.

Wake Forest

How quickly the world can change in a week.

Wake Forest had its biggest win of the season last week vs. Duke, which propelled it into being a projected last four team in. Since then, the Demon Deacons have lost two straight and find themselves right back out of the projected field.

Wake Forest looked in sync in the first half against Virginia Tech, leading by as much as 15 in the first half, drilling nine 3-pointers. But when it came out after halftime, the 3-point shot wasn’t there and it felt as if Virginia Tech couldn’t miss a shot if it tried. The Hokies put up 50 second-half points to win 87-76. 

With things now falling apart, Wake Forest’s resume suddenly comes back into the picture. It’s now 1-6 in Quad 1 games and in need of another boost if it wants a spot in the field again. The Demon Deacons will close the regular season against Clemson, and that last chance of a Quad 1 win might be the difference maker in whether Wake Forest will be dancing or not.

Virginia

The tournament may no longer be a guarantee for Virginia after Saturday’s awful performance against Duke.

The Cavaliers didn’t show up inside Cameron Indoor Stadium, falling behind by 10 points just five minutes into the game. By the time it was halftime, the Blue Devils were up by a whopping 40-18 score in what turned out to be a 25-point win for Duke. 

You know you’re in for a low-scoring game when Virginia is on the court, but it is concerning that it has lost by double-digits in four of its last six games, with two of those defeats coming by at least 25 points. It’s still in third place in the ACC, but the conference has been shaky this season, to say the least, so there’s no security in the Cavaliers being a quality tournament team. In the first edition of bracketology this season, Virginia was in the first four out. It may find itself there soon if it falls flat in the ACC tournament.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Xavier Worthy has set a new record.

The Texas wide receiver ran a 4.21-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine on Saturday, breaking former Washington wide receiver John Ross’ previous record of 4.22 seconds. After setting the record, Worthy continued to sprint around the field and screamed in excitement.

‘I watched the combine my whole life as a kid. I seen John Ross run that. I never thought I would be on the stage to do that,’ Worthy said afterward. ‘My trainers told me to be patient. You’ll peak at the right time.’

Worthy ran a 4.25 during his first attempt and hit the record on the second attempt.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Worthy had 75 receptions for 1,014 yards and five touchdowns at Texas last season.

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Ross with the ninth overall pick in the 2017 draft following his record-setting run at the combine. (The Kansas City Chiefs selected Patrick Mahomes with the next pick.) Ross’ run had toppled Chris Johnson’s old record of 4.24 seconds, set in 2008. Johnson was also a first-round pick that year, and he went on to post an NFL-record 2,509 yards from scrimmage in 2009.

It remains to be seen if Saturday’s performance makes Worthy’s draft stock rise.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

The Iowa star will be given a custom vest by Kristin Juszczyk to celebrate her senior day. The vest commemorates her breaking Kelsey Plum’s NCAA women’s scoring record along with her school records, per Yahoo Sports. The vest features elements from Clark’s Hawkeyes jerseys and ‘NCAA women’s scoring leader” and “all-time Iowa leader in: points, assists, 3PM, FGM.”

“I wish I could add all her awards on there, but you would need 700 jackets to fit all that. Which is incredible,” Juszczyk said. “It’s a special piece and I hope she loves it. … It’s so special to me to be able to create, especially for a woman of her caliber. She’s such a trailblazer in her league and it’s special to be able to see her selling out these arenas and breaking all these records. … What a great way to be able to show her how much her fans love her and to be able to just represent herself through a piece of clothing.’

The designer skyrocketed to fame this past NFL season because she makes her own clothes to cheer on her husband, San Francisco 49ers’ fullback Kristin Juszczyk, and also made jersey jackets for Simone Biles and Taylor Swift, who is dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The pop superstar’s jacket went viral and helped boost Juszczyk to 1 million Instagram followers and a licensing deal with the NFL.

On Thursday, Clark declared for the WNBA draft, forgoing her optional fifth year to go pro. She is expected to go to the Indiana Fever with the No. 1 overall pick.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Be honest. How many of you thought that Apple (AAPL), Alphabet (GOOGL), and Tesla (TSLA) could struggle collectively, while the S&P 500 continued to set record high after record high? I’m not surprised at all, because secular bull market advances are stubborn and money rotates when former leaders stall. That’s one of the hallmarks of a bull market. They’re incredibly resilient.

Today, I want to focus on AAPL, because it’s providing early signals that it will soon rejoin the bull market leadership. Here’s the daily chart:

Here’s what I see when I look at the AAPL chart:

AAPL’s leadership ended with the emergence of a negative divergence in late 2023AAPL gapped lower to begin 2024 and started a period of market maker manipulation where AAPL fell nearly 13 bucks. But AAPL, collectively during the past two months, fell 27 bucks at the opening bell and during the first 90 minutes of trading. In the final 5 hours of trading during January and February, AAPL actually gained nearly 15 bucks. There were plenty of afternoon buyers (market makers) accumulating shares while unaware retail traders were being encouraged to sell during the weak morning hoursThe AD line has moved steadily higher in 2024, underscoring this accumulationPrice support near the 180 level is quite clearAAPL broke down intraday on Friday, but recovered in the afternoon, printing a doji, one form of a reversing candlestick

While I believe AAPL is poised to regain its leadership role sooner rather than later, which will help large cap stocks and our key indices, I’ve begun to rotate more and more towards small cap stocks. I’m so bullish on small caps right now that I’ve decided to feature 3 excellent small cap trading candidates this week in my FREE EB Digest newsletter. If you’re interested in learning more about these stocks and their significant upside potential, CLICK HERE and sign up for our EB Digest with your name and email address – it’s absolutely FREE!

Happy trading!

Tom Bowley, Chief Market Strategist, EarningsBeats.com

Amanda Serrano, the women’s unified featherweight world boxing champion, was ruled unfit to fight Saturday in her homeland of Puerto Rico because a chemical used while she was getting her hair done Thursday caused an eye injury, according to Jake Paul’s business partner.

Shortly after Paul beat Ryan Bourland by first-round TKO Saturday night in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the social media star took part in a bizarre moment even by boxing standards.

Paul stood inside the ring at Coliseo de Puerto Rico Jose Miguel Agrelot near Serrano as he announced Serrano would not be able to fight in the main event that was scheduled to take place in just minutes. The fight was canceled.

Serrano had injured her eye, explained Paul, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, which represents Serrano.

Boos rained down from a sellout crowd of about 18,000 as Serrano, wearing dark sunglasses, sobbed.

Paul, who had fought in the ‘co-main” event prior to the scheduled main event in deference to Serrano, said $1.5 million generated at the gate would be fully refunded to spectators seeking a refund. Serrano (46-2-1) tearfully apologized for the situation.

Yet clearly not all of the fans were satisfied by what they heard — or by when they were hearing it.

A hair appointment goes awry

There was more to the story, as relayed by Paul and his business partner, Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of MVP.

“What happened there was on Thursday night Amanda Serrano had her hair done,’’ Bidarian said at the outset of Paul’s postfight press conference. “On Friday, while going for a run, a chemical went into her eye. That is why at the weigh-in (Friday) she was wearing glasses. We were trying to determine what happened.’’

Bidarian said Serrano visited a doctor Friday evening “and throughout all of Saturday we were trying to get her eye to a place where she was comfortable fighting.

“She came to the arena to fight and when the commission’s medical doctors examined her, they said she was unfit to fight. The commission would not allow her to enter the ring and do what she wanted to do most, which was fight in front of her fans on this island.’’

More than an injured eye

Paul, who was showered in cheers after his victory, may have been appealing to the Puerto Rican fans when he cited Serrano’s character.

“It just goes to show the type of woman and warrior that Amanda is that she still wanted to fight with an exposed cornea and the skin burned off of her eye,’’ Paul said. “The chemical was also burning her hand. You could see the skin on her hands melting. You know, she’s so tough, it’s very sad, and I wanted nothing more than to support her and see her fight as well.’’

Bidarian asked the Puerto Ricans for something other than forgiveness.

“This is the time for the people of Puerto Rico to get behind Amanda Serrano and show her how much they really care about her,’’ he said. “She wanted nothing more than to come here and fight in front of her fans. Her heart is broken right. Her pride is broken. But she’s determined to come back here, and her last fight of her career, she has promised will be in Puerto Rico.’’

And will there be another boxing card featuring Paul and Serrano in Puerto Rico?

“We just have to run it back, I guess,’’ Paul said.

The official statement

Paul’s company, Most Valuable Promotions, issued a statement.

“Amanda Serrano has unfortunately been declared medically unfit by the Puerto Rican Boxing Commission to fight tonight due to an eye injury she sustained yesterday. She is devastated that she won’t be able to perform in front of her hometown fans, but despite wanting to go out and put on a show, the Commission said there is no way she can fight with her eye in its current condition.

“The decision equally affects Nina Meinke and MVP will be paying her fight purse in full. MVP and Amanda would like to apologize to everyone in attendance and the company will provide full refunds for all those seeking it. Details to follow on the ticket refund process.

“Amanda is proud of the way her fellow MVP teammates have competed tonight, she appreciates the love and support of her fans, and hopes to return to the ring soon.’’

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Amanda Serrano, the women’s unified featherweight world boxing champion, was ruled unfit to fight Saturday in her homeland of Puerto Rico because a chemical used while she was getting her hair done Thursday caused an eye injury, according to Jake Paul’s business partner.

Shortly after Paul beat Ryan Bourland by first-round TKO Saturday night in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the social media star took part in a bizarre moment even by boxing standards.

Paul stood inside the ring at Coliseo de Puerto Rico Jose Miguel Agrelot near Serrano as he announced Serrano would not be able to fight in the main event that was scheduled to take place in just minutes. The fight was canceled.

Serrano had injured her eye, explained Paul, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, which represents Serrano.

Boos rained down from a sellout crowd of about 18,000 as Serrano, wearing dark sunglasses, sobbed.

Paul, who had fought in the ‘co-main” event prior to the scheduled main event in deference to Serrano, said $1.5 million generated at the gate would be fully refunded to spectators seeking a refund. Serrano (46-2-1) tearfully apologized for the situation.

Yet clearly not all of the fans were satisfied by what they heard — or by when they were hearing it.

A hair appointment goes awry

There was more to the story, as relayed by Paul and his business partner, Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of MVP.

“What happened there was on Thursday night Amanda Serrano had her hair done,’’ Bidarian said at the outset of Paul’s postfight press conference. “On Friday, while going for a run, a chemical went into her eye. That is why at the weigh-in (Friday) she was wearing glasses. We were trying to determine what happened.’’

Bidarian said Serrano visited a doctor Friday evening “and throughout all of Saturday we were trying to get her eye to a place where she was comfortable fighting.

“She came to the arena to fight and when the commission’s medical doctors examined her, they said she was unfit to fight. The commission would not allow her to enter the ring and do what she wanted to do most, which was fight in front of her fans on this island.’’

More than an injured eye

Paul, who was showered in cheers after his victory, may have been appealing to the Puerto Rican fans when he cited Serrano’s character.

“It just goes to show the type of woman and warrior that Amanda is that she still wanted to fight with an exposed cornea and the skin burned off of her eye,’’ Paul said. “The chemical was also burning her hand. You could see the skin on her hands melting. You know, she’s so tough, it’s very sad, and I wanted nothing more than to support her and see her fight as well.’’

Bidarian asked the Puerto Ricans for something other than forgiveness.

“This is the time for the people of Puerto Rico to get behind Amanda Serrano and show her how much they really care about her,’’ he said. “She wanted nothing more than to come here and fight in front of her fans. Her heart is broken right. Her pride is broken. But she’s determined to come back here, and her last fight of her career, she has promised will be in Puerto Rico.’’

And will there be another boxing card featuring Paul and Serrano in Puerto Rico?

“We just have to run it back, I guess,’’ Paul said.

The official statement

Paul’s company, Most Valuable Promotions, issued a statement.

“Amanda Serrano has unfortunately been declared medically unfit by the Puerto Rican Boxing Commission to fight tonight due to an eye injury she sustained yesterday. She is devastated that she won’t be able to perform in front of her hometown fans, but despite wanting to go out and put on a show, the Commission said there is no way she can fight with her eye in its current condition.

“The decision equally affects Nina Meinke and MVP will be paying her fight purse in full. MVP and Amanda would like to apologize to everyone in attendance and the company will provide full refunds for all those seeking it. Details to follow on the ticket refund process.

“Amanda is proud of the way her fellow MVP teammates have competed tonight, she appreciates the love and support of her fans, and hopes to return to the ring soon.’’

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

A pair of GOATs were spotted in Iowa on Sunday.

Caitlin Clark is set to make history on Sunday afternoon, as the Iowa Hawkeye superstar sat just 18 points away from tying ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich’s all-time NCAA Division I basketball scoring record.

As it goes, game recognizes game, and Clark was visited by former UConn great Maya Moore ahead of Iowa’s matchup vs. Ohio State on Sunday.

It was an exceptionally cool moment for Clark, who admitted she was ‘fangirling so hard’ over Moore’s appearance ahead of Iowa’s senior day; Clark has referred to Moore as her favorite player throughout her career.

It certainly makes sense why Clark would hold Moore on that high a pedestal: Moore is one of, if not the most, decorated basketball players of all time. A four-time NBA champion, two-time NCAA champion and two-time Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year, Moore officially retired from basketball in 2023.

Still, Clark has certainly made her mark on basketball. That much was apparent by the droves of fans who showed up to watch Clark potentially break records and make history on Sunday.

As for Clark, she still is chasing down that championship after coming up just short in the championship game vs. LSU in 2023.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

A pair of GOATs were spotted in Iowa on Sunday.

Caitlin Clark is set to make history on Sunday afternoon, as the Iowa Hawkeye superstar sat just 18 points away from tying ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich’s all-time NCAA Division I basketball scoring record.

As it goes, game recognizes game, and Clark was visited by former UConn great Maya Moore ahead of Iowa’s matchup vs. Ohio State on Sunday.

It was an exceptionally cool moment for Clark, who admitted she was ‘fangirling so hard’ over Moore’s appearance ahead of Iowa’s senior day; Clark has referred to Moore as her favorite player throughout her career.

It certainly makes sense why Clark would hold Moore on that high a pedestal: Moore is one of, if not the most, decorated basketball players of all time. A four-time NBA champion, two-time NCAA champion and two-time Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year, Moore officially retired from basketball in 2023.

Still, Clark has certainly made her mark on basketball. That much was apparent by the droves of fans who showed up to watch Clark potentially break records and make history on Sunday.

As for Clark, she still is chasing down that championship after coming up just short in the championship game vs. LSU in 2023.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY