BASKETBALL LEGEND TIM DUNCAN SUPPORTING HIS DAUGHTER

Tim Duncan accompanies his daughter, Sidney Duncan, who plays volleyball for Stanford, in their matchup against Texas.

 

ISRAELI SIBLINGS RON AND LEAH POLONSKY CHASE OLYMPICS FROM BAY AREA RIVALS STANFORD AND CAL

AP

 STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — With nearly identical ear-to-ear smiles, Ron and Leah Polonsky stroll through campus speaking Hebrew as they head for the Stanford pool relishing a rare chance to catch up in person given their hectic schedules.

Ron swims for Stanford. Leah competes at rival California, in nearby Berkeley. The Polonskys were ballroom dancers as young children in Haifa, Israel, before switching to swimming. Even though their colleges are separated only by the San Francisco Bay, it's the farthest apart they have ever been.

“It was really nice to move together and start together, although it was hard because it was our first time separated,” Leah said. “He tried to come here, I tried to go there, but it didn’t really work out. But I think it’s good for us to go separate ways maybe. I would love to be with him on the same team, but I don’t think it’s something that’s necessary.”

If all goes as hoped, they will be on the same team at this summer's Paris Olympics.

Securing spots on the Israeli Olympic team would be perfect for the talented breaststrokers who both focus on the 200 individual medley. It’s a challenging process given there are limited qualifying meets back home amid the current Middle East conflict.

The Polonskys have become creative in finding opportunities, with the help of Israeli technical adviser David Marsh, a top assistant coach at Cal.

“They are siblings that help each other in every way, both known for being extremely hard workers,” Marsh said. “Both very competitive, both very smart, and outstanding people.”

The Polonskys still need to meet FINA qualifying times to earn Olympic berths. They could make the Israeli relay teams, too.

They are set to compete in their country's nationals scheduled for June 3-6 in Netanya, Israel. The next chance to qualify could be at the European Aquatics Championships from June 16-22 in Belgrade, Serbia.

Their parents and two younger siblings left Israel last year to be closer to them and now live in San Jose. The entire family would be thrilled with a trip to Paris.

Ron made his Olympic debut in Tokyo.

“Although I swam a personal best, which is super important at an Olympics ... I still felt like something was missing, and it’s probably because my sister Leah was not there,” Ron said.

“That’s because my whole journey was right next to Leah. We grew up together, we started swimming together, we went to school together. I’m one year older, but we swam in the same pool, we went to the same high school, we went to the same other athletic activities. I’m used to feeling some sense of family close by.”

They are a calming influence on each other. It has always been this way — even if the Polonskys have had to get used to supporting each other while living about an hour apart.

As kids, Ron and Leah would head out for their ballroom dancing practices at ages 5 and 6, and also began swimming together. When coaches eventually pushed Leah to choose between dancing and swimming, she stuck with Ron and swimming.

“He was always like my role model, I had someone to look up to. That was very nice. We did everything together, from ballroom dancing to swimming,” Leah said. “We did both for a long time. He had judo so he had three different sports. He stopped before me and then they wanted me to choose between ballroom and swimming and I was like, ‘swimming.’ ..."

Don’t ask them to demonstrate any dancing on the pool deck these days — “We don’t remember anything,” Leah declared.

Ron surprised Leah at a Stanford-Cal women’s meet when she was still finding her footing and needed the lift of seeing her brother’s face. She did the same for him when the Cal men went to Stanford.

“At the beginning it was hard, but I feel like we needed to experience life still close to each other and try to achieve the same things like the Olympics but in different ways,” Leah said.

She left Israel at 19, while Ron was 20. Their parents, Anna and Oleg, moved to nearby San Jose with their two younger children after years of hearing from family in New York that they should immigrate to the United States. They found good jobs in their shared field as computer science engineers.

Ron is 23 and 14 months older, while Leah turned 22 on May 25. Both are seniors in the fall given Ron started college later — and they almost look like twins with those matching bright smiles.

“I guess we got it from our parents,” Leah said.

Sometimes, they even finish each other’s thoughts.

Leah has declared as a computer science major who is considering a pre-med path. Ron is leaning toward computer science as well.

“Still undeclared?” his sister teased.

“I like to keep the options open,” big brother came right back.

“We both are a little bit nerdy, we like engineering, so the Bay Area is the good stuff,” Ron said.

And being close helps them continue cheering for each other.

“She was always there for me,” Ron said. “I could always reach out. If I had struggles she could always help me out or she could come to me for advice, I could come to her for advice. I don’t think I can explain how nice it is to have someone that close being actually close to you all the time.”

Now, their entire support system is nearby.

“I think it’s neat that her family has relocated to San Jose so they have a close home base nearby to go home and reset if needed,” Leah’s Cal teammate and close friend Rachel Klinker said. “On occasion she’ll go home, but she’s very dedicated to what she’s doing in the pool. It inspires me every single day. If I’m having a rough day I look over, she’s doing a different set and I’m like, ‘Look at Leah go.’ It’s incredible. Oh my gosh, she’s a pure machine in the water, nothing fazes her.”

Ron and Leah feel beyond lucky to have each other as they chase their Olympic dreams.

“It was awesome,” Ron said of their close-knit relationship. “It is still awesome.”

- JANIE McCAULEY

CAITLIN CLARCK TAKEN NO.1 IN THE WNBA DRAFT BY THE INDIANA FEVER, AS EXPECTED

AP Photo 

 NEW YORK (AP) — Caitlin Clark admitted she was a bit nervous before being chosen with the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever, even though it was no surprise.

"I dreamed of this moment since I was in second grade, and it’s taken a lot of hard work, a lot of ups and downs, but more than anything, just trying to soak it in,” Clark said.

The former Iowa star became a household name among basketball fans during her record-breaking college career, and she will now try and help revive the Indiana franchise along with last season's No. 1 pick, Aliyah Boston, who previously played with Clark on a USA Basketball Under-19 team.

“Obviously going to an organization that has, in my eyes, one of the best post players in the entire world,” Clark said. “My point guard eyes just light up at that. And obviously, Aliyah has been one of my teammates before. I’m excited. I can’t wait.”

The Fever taking Clark had been a foregone conclusion since she announced on Feb. 29 she would turn pro. Nearly 17,000 tickets were claimed to watch the draft at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, home to the Fever and the NBA's Indiana Pacers.

Clark has helped bring millions of fans to the women's game with her signature shots from the midcourt logo and passing ability. The NCAA's all-time scoring leader was a big reason why a record 18.9 million viewers tuned in to the national championship game, which Iowa lost to unbeaten South Carolina. The Hawkeyes were also the national runners-up to LSU a year earlier.

AP Photo 

It's been a whirlwind few weeks for Clark. After the title game, she flew to Los Angeles to receive the John R. Wooden Award and then came to New York for an appearance on “Saturday Night Live.”

“I think obviously the course of the last few weeks has been pretty insane in my life, the last two months playing basketball as long as I possibly could in my college career,” Clark said. “I think the biggest thing is I’m just very lucky to be in this moment, and all these opportunities and these things, they’re once in a lifetime.”

Clark, who wore a white Prada jacket and skirt, hugged her parents and brothers and Iowa coach Lisa Bluder after she was drafted.

The draft was held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in front of 1,000 fans, who bought all the tickets within 15 minutes of them going on sale a few months ago.

Los Angeles chose Stanford's Cameron Brink at No. 2. She'll get to stay in California and gives the Sparks a two-way player.

“When they called my name, a huge wave of emotions hit me,” Brink said. “I saw my mom tearing up and my dad and it hit home.”

A prolific scorer, Brink was also the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. The Sparks needed to replace franchise player Nneka Ogwumike, who left for Seattle in free agency. Brink's godmother, Sonya Curry, is the mother of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry.

“I FaceTimed Steph five minutes before the show started and he said have fun with it,” Brink said. “He can share so much great advice since he’s been through this. Make stuff like this fun as it can be stressed.”

Chicago had the third pick and chose South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso before the Sparks were on the clock again and and selected Tennessee's Rickea Jackson.

Cardoso had a busy week, helping the Gamecocks win the national championship to complete an undefeated season. She took part in the team's championship parade on Sunday before traveling to New York.

Dallas took Ohio State guard Jacy Sheldon with the fifth pick. Washington drafted Aaliyah Edwards of UConn sixth before Chicago took LSU's Angel Reese at No. 7, pairing her with Cardoso.

“She’s a great player and I’m a great player. Nobody’s going to get no rebounds on us,” the 6-foot-7 Cardoso said, laughing.

Minnesota, which had swapped picks with Chicago, drafted Alissa Pili of Utah eighth.

A pair of French guards, Carla Leite and Leila Lacan, went next to Dallas and Connecticut, respectively.

New York drafted Ole Miss' Marquesha Davis at No. 11 and Atlanta closed out the first round by taking Australian Nyadiew Puoch.

AP Photo 

THE CHAMPS ARE HERE

Two-time defending champion Las Vegas didn't have a first-round pick, but made the most of three second-round choices. The Aces chose Syracuse guard Dyaisha Fair, who finished as the third-leading scorer in NCAA Division I history, with the 16th pick. Two picks later, they chose Iowa's Kate Martin. The team closed out the round drafting Virginia Tech's Elizabeth Kitley, who is recovering from a torn ACL. She's out for the season and showed up on crutches.

HEADING TO PHOENIX

Charisma Osborne was the last of the 15 players invited to the draft to get chosen, going with the first pick of the third round to Phoenix. Osborne, who played at UCLA, said getting chosen so late didn't faze her.

“I was nervous the entire night. My feelings didn't change,” she said. “I heard my name and was so excited. I can't wait to get to work in Phoenix.”

- DOUG FEINBERG

NO. 6 STANFORD TOPS DUKE 82-79 IN OVERTIME

The Chronicle

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Cameron Brink scored nine of her career-high 29 points in overtime, including a pair of clutch free throws with 11.9 seconds remaining, and No, 6 Stanford held off Duke 82-79 on Sunday.

The reigning two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year added 11 rebounds and six blocked shots to keep the Cardinal (4-0) unbeaten.

Kiki Iriafen had a career 27 points with nine rebounds for Stanford. Hannah Jump added 15 points with five 3-pointers.

Ashlon Jackson made six 3s and scored 22 points for Duke (3-2).

No. 2 IOWA 113, DRAKE 90

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Caitlin Clark had 35 points and 10 assists and Kate Martin had a career-high 25 points as Iowa responded from its first loss of the season, beating Drake.

The Hawkeyes (4-1), coming off a 65-58 loss to Kansas State on Thursday night, scored a program-record 64 points in the first half, shooting 75% in the first quarter and 65% in the first half.

Grace Berg led Drake (3-1) with 19 points.

No. 4 UTAH 117, EASTERN KENTUCKY 72

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alissa Pili scored 28 points, Gianna Kneepkens 23 and Ines Vieira added 20 to help No. 4 Utah beat Eastern Kentucky and win the Great Alaska Shootout championship.

Pili, a native of Anchorage playing in front of dozens of friends and family, made 11 of 18 from the field and finished with eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks.

Kneepkens was 8-of-10 shooting, made 5 of 7 from 3-point range and grabbed eight rebounds.

The Utes scored 27 first-quarter points and took a 51-32 lead into halftime.

Antwainette Walker led Eastern Kentucky with 29 points, Raphaela Toussaint scored 12 and Althea Kara Angeles added 11.

No. 11 TEXAS 96, LOUISIANA TECH 44

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Taylor Jones scored 25 points on 12-of-16 shooting and Texas rolled to a win over Louisiana Tech.

Jones and Shaylee Gonzales combined to go 9 of 11 in the first quarter and scored 10 points apiece as the Longhorns raced to a 30-10 lead.

Six different players scored in the second quarter when Texas stretched the lead to 54-19.

Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda scored 12 points off the bench for the Longhorns and Gonzales and Amina Muhammad both had 12. Rori Harmon had eight points, 11 assists, seven rebounds and five steals.

Texas shot 56%, had a 43-20 rebound advantage and turned 29 turnovers into 41 points.

Salma Bates led Tech (2-1) with 13 points.

No. 8 UCONN 62, MINNESOTA 44

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Paige Bueckers had 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists for Connecticut in her hometown, and the Huskies stifled Minnesota’s outside shooters on the way to a victory over the Gophers.

Aaliyah Edwards scored 16 points and nine rebounds to help UConn (3-1) control the paint and conclude a strong week following a 92-81 loss on Nov. 17 to No. 14 North Carolina State.

Bueckers, working her way back from a torn ACL in her left knee that kept her out of the 2022-23 season, shot 4 for 12 from the floor in 31 minutes. When she was subbed out for good in the fourth quarter, Bueckers received a loud cheer from the crowd of 10,689 at Williams Arena about 10 miles east of the suburb, Hopkins, where she was raised.

The Huskies, who beat No. 20 Maryland 80-48 on Thursday, played their second straight game without star guard Azzi Fudd because of a knee injury she suffered in practice on Tuesday.

Mara Braun had 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Gophers (3-1), who went 6 for 34 from 3-point range.

No. 12 FLORIDA STATE 80, SOUTH ALABAMA 45

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Makayla Timpson scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Florida State rolled to a win over South Alabama.

Amaya Bonner added 14 points for the Seminoles (4-0) and O’Mariah Gordon scored 12. Sara Bejedi and Sakyia White added 10 points each. Ta’Niya Latson was just 2-of-16 shooting but she had 11 rebounds as FSU won the boards 60-42 and contributed six assists.

Tyrielle Williams had 11 points to lead the Jaguars (1-3), who shot just 22% (16 for 72).

No. 15 TENNESSEE 100, TROY 73

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Karoline Striplin scored 19 points off the bench, Jillian Hollingshead and Destinee Wells scored 18 each, and Tennessee defeated Troy.

Striplin and Hollingshead had double-doubles, Striplin adding 14 rebounds and Hollingshead with 10 boards. Wells had eight assists.

Sara Puckett had 14 points and Kaiya Wynn scored 10 for the Lady Vols (3-1).

No. 14 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 67, RHODE ISLAND 56

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Saniya Rivers and Aziaha James fueled a 14-2 run over the last 4:14 and North Carolina State pulled out a win over Rhode Island.

The Rams led most of the way but down the stretch Rivers and James combined for 12 points before Zoe Brooks added a layup. Rhode Island was 1 of 9 after Maye Toure’s basket made it 56-63 with 5:17 to go.

Rivers scored 19 points with seven assists and seven steals and James had 17 points. Mimi Collins had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Wolfpack (4-0) and Brooks scored 10.

Toure led the Rams (3-2) with 19 points and eight rebounds and Teisha Hyman had 12 points and nine boards.

No. 16 MISSISSIPPI 56, ARIZONA 47

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Marquesha Davis scored 17 points, Madison Scott had a double-double and Mississippi defeated Arizona in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Down 22-16 after a sluggish first half, the Rebels turned it around in the third quarter, outscoring the Wildcats 25-11. K.K. Deans had a 3-pointer and Davis followed with a 3-point play in the midst of a 13-0 run that turned a 25-18 deficit into a 31-25 lead.

Arizona (4-1) got within 47-44 midway through the fourth quarter but made just one of its last six shots and had five turnovers over the last 5 1/2 minutes.

Deans had 13 points for Ole Miss (4-1) and Scott had 10 points with 11 rebounds.

No. 18 INDIANA 77, LIPSCOMB 44

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Sara Scalia scored 24 points, Mackenzie Holmes added 23 and Indiana ran past Lipscomb.

Scalia made 5 of 7 3-pointers and added six rebounds with five assists. Holmes grabbed nine rebounds. No other player scored more than seven points for the Hoosiers (3-1).

Indiana hit 53% of its shots in the second quarter and outscored Lipscomb 21-6 for a 39-18 halftime lead.

Molly Heard led the Bisons (3-2) with 14 points and eight rebounds.

No. 19 LOUISVILLE 77, BUCKNELL 44

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Sydney Taylor scored 17 points to lead Louisville to a win over Bucknell.

Olivia Cochran added 11 points and eight rebounds for the Cardinals (4-0). Nyla Harris and Eylia Love scored 10 apiece.

Cochran had eight rebounds as Louisville outrebounded Bucknell 40-19 — 15-0 on the offensive end which led to 20 second-chance points. The Cardinals also turned 26 turnovers into 34 points.

Isabella King scored 19 points for the Bison (1-3) and Emma Theodorsson added 11.

No. 20 MARYLAND 83, SYRACUSE 81

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Allie Kubek scored 23 points off the bench, Shyanne Sellers added 19 and Maryland held on for a win over Syracuse.

Alaina Rice hit a 3-pointer for the Orange to make it a two-point game with 23 seconds to go then Kyra Wood forced a turnover with 10 seconds remaining. But Syracuse couldn’t get a look at the basket and Bri McDaniel knocked it away as time expired.

McDaniel had 12 points, five assists and three steals off the bench for the Terrapins (2-2), who lost their previous two games to South Carolina and UConn.

Georgia Woolley scored 21 points with eight rebounds for the Orange (3-1).

No. 21 BAYLOR 81, HARVARD 71

WACO, Texas (AP) — Aijha Blackwell had 16 points to lead five starters in double figures and Baylor defeated Harvard.

Blackwell made 5 of 8 shots with a 3-pointer and 5 of 10 from the free-throw line for the Lady Bears (3-0). Dre’Una Edwards hit two 3-pointers and scored 14. Darianna Littlepage-Buggs and Jada Walker both scored 13 with Littlepage-Buggs adding nine rebounds and Walker adding eight assists. Sarah Andrews scored 11.

Harmoni Turner scored 29 points to lead the Crimson (3-2), who are 2-2 away from home this season. Turner made 9 of 26 shots with three 3-pointers, adding seven rebounds and five assists. Lola Mullaney sank five of her 12 shots from distance, scoring 19 with four steals. Elena Rodriguez scored 11 on 5-for-7 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds.

No. 22 CREIGHTON 79, NEBRASKA 74

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Morgan Maly had 14 of her 23 points in the first quarter, Emma Ronsiek scored 21 and Creighton held off Nebraska.

Maly sank all four of her 3-point attempts in the first period and Creighton (3-1) grabbed a 28-23 lead. Maly had 18 points by halftime and Ronsieke scored 11 to send the Bluejays into the locker room with a 47-40 lead.

Creighton led by nine entering the final period, but Darian White made two free throws to pull the Cornhuskers (3-1) within 72-69 with 3:36 remaining. Lauren Jensen answered with a layup and the Bluejays maintained a two-possession lead from there.

No. 24 WASHINGTON STATE 81, PRAIRIE VIEW 43

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (AP) — Charlisse Leger-Walker scored 13 of her 17 points in the first half, Astera Tuhina added 13 points and three steals and Washington State beat Prairie View.

Washington State (5-0) is off to its best start since the 2016-17 team, which later lost nine consecutive games during Pac-12 play and finished 14-16 overall, won its first five games.

Bella Murekatete scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds and Beyonce Bea added 10 points and eight rebounds for WSU. The Cougars made 32 of 64 from the field, scored 22 points off 22 Prairie View (3-2) turnovers and outscored the Panthers 16-4 in second-chance points.

Ryann Payne, the only PVAMU player to score in double figures, finished with 14 points.

No. 25 OKLAHOMA 82, VIRGINIA 67

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Skylar Vann scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Payton Verhulst hit three 3-pointers to spark a decisive second quarter as Oklahoma rolled past Virginia.

The unbeaten Sooners (5-0) took a 24-18 lead after one quarter, then broke it open by outscoring the Cavaliers 20-9 to take a 44-27 halftime lead. Virginia went scoreless for six minutes in the second quarter.

Verhulst hit from distance to open the second quarter and knocked down her second a minute later to put Oklahoma up 32-20. Kaydan Lawson answered with a 3 for Virginia but the Cavaliers were scoreless until Lawton converted a layup with 2:05 left to make it 42-25.

Camryn Taylor led Virginia (3-1) with 17 points, grabbed six rebounds and had a pair of steals.

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