DENVER (AP) - National player of the year Brittney Griner scored 17 of her game-high 26 points in the second half and added 13 rebounds and five blocked shots in unbeaten Baylor's 80-61 victory over Notre Dame for the NCAA women's national championship. The Lady Bears are the first college team to win 40 games in a season and the seventh women's team to finish the season undefeated.
MIAMI (AP) - LeBron James scored a season-high 41 points, Mario Chalmers added 19 and the Miami Heat clinched a playoff spot with a 99-93 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Chris Bosh scored 17 points and Udonis Haslem (yoo-DAH'-nihs HAZ'-lehm) grabbed 11 rebounds for Miami, which won despite Dwyane Wade sitting out with a bruised left knee.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - Tiger Woods got a featured tee time for his first round Thursday in the Masters, playing just behind defending champion Charl Schwartzel and just ahead of No. 1- ranked Luke Donald. Woods will play his first two rounds with Miguel Angel Jimenez (AHN'-hehl hee-MEHN'-ehz) of Spain and Sang-Moon Bae of South Korea with a 10:35 a.m. (Eastern) for Thursday's opening round.
MIAMI (AP) --Ozzie Guillen's (gee-EHNZ') new-look Miami Marlins open the stateside Major League Baseball season Wednesday night against the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday night at the Marlins new $515 million ballpark on the site of the old Orange Bowl in Miami. Marlins ace Josh Johnson gets the opening night pitching assignment against the Cardinals' Kyle Lohse (lohsh) for new manager Mike Matheny, who takes over for retired skipper Tony La Russa.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Boston Red Sox closer Andrew Bailey will have surgery on his right thumb that could sideline him for a significant portion of the season. The Red Sox were counting on Bailey to take up the closer's role left vacant when Jonathan Papelbon signed a free-agent deal with Philadelphia.
