Edwards leads Purdue to rout of reigning champ Villanova

Carsen Edwards had a career night, scoring 42 points as Purdue knocked reigning national champion Villanova out of the NCAA Tournament Saturday night in an 87-61 rout.

Matt Haarms added 18 points and nine rebounds for the third-seeded Boilermakers (25-9), who advanced to their third straight Sweet 16.

Eric Paschall had 19 for Villanova (26-10), which saw its quest for a third national title in the last four seasons end during the tournament's first weekend. Fellow senior Phil Booth scored 15 points, putting him over 1,500 for his career.

Purdue's Carsen Edwards, left, and Villanova's Phil Booth dive for a loose ball during the first half of a second round men's college basketball game in the NCAA tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2019, in Hartford, Conn. (AP PhotoJessica Hill)

Edwards has battled a sore back and had been in a recent shooting slump, making just 7 of 23 shots from the field in Purdue's first-round win over Old Dominion. He found the bottom of the net early and often against 'Nova, making 12 of his 21 shots, including nine of 16 from behind the arc.

Purdue shot 54 percent while holding Villanova to just 20 baskets on 58 shots (34 percent).

Purdue jumped out early, building a 13-point lead thanks to Edwards' outside shooting and Haarms' work down low.

The 7-foot-3 Dutchman towered over the shorter Wildcats, who didn't start anyone over 6-8. He had Purdue's first 4 points on a dunk and a put-back. Edwards hit five of his nine first-half shots, all of which came from 3-point range.

Purdue had nine 3-point baskets in the first half and a dunk by Haarms put the Boilermakers up 43-24 at intermission.

Another dunk from the Dutchman extended the lead to 35 in the second half. Villanova chipped away but the sixth seeded Big East champions did not have weapons to make it a game.

BIG PICTURE

Villanova: The Wildcats continued a five-year pattern that has seen them lose in the second round, win a national title, lose in the second round and win another national title. The Wildcats are 15-3 in NCAA Tournament games over that stretch.

Purdue: The win gives the Boilermakers 25 victories for the fourth straight season. Purdue had only done that once before, between 2008 and 2011.

UP NEXT

The Boilermakers will face the winner of Sunday's game between Iowa and Tennessee.

More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/MarchMadness and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Utah and Florida clinched the remaining two spots at the NCAA women’s gymnastics championship on Thursday night, denying No. 1 overall seed Oklahoma a chance at a three-peat.

Utah took the lead on the first rotation after posting a season-high 49.6375 on the beam — with a 9.950 from Abby Paulson and Malie O’Keefe. Jaylene Gilstrap and O’Keefe also posted 9.950 on the floor to keep Utah in front.

The Utes finished with 197.9375 points, while the Gators had 197.8750 for the fifth-highest score in program history at the championships. Defending champion Oklahoma suffered from five falls to place third with 196.6625, followed by Alabama (196.4125).

Fifth-seeded Utah and No. 4 Florida join No. 2 LSU and No. 3 California in Saturday’s finals. The Gators are seeking their fourth title in program history, winning three consecutive from 2013-15.

Oklahoma was seeking to win its third straight, but had a disastrous start after posting its lowest vault score since Jan. 4, 2008. The Sooners had finished the tournament in the top three every year since 2013, with six national championships (2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2023).

Earlier in the day, LSU posted the top score of 198.1125 to advance to the finals for the 10th time in school history. It was the second-highest score in program history at a national championship for LSU, which is seeking its first national title.

Cal reached the finals for the first time in program history with an overall score of 197.7125, ahead of Stanford (197.0750) and Arkansas (196.4750).

LSU senior Haleigh Bryant's all-around score of 39.7125 from the afternoon session held up to become the champion. Bryant’s teammate, Aleah Finnegan, took the floor exercise after delivering a 9.9626 to match LSU’s best result on the event at the championship.

Oklahoma senior Audrey Davis shared a pair of titles, including the beam podium with teammate Faith Torrez. Davis also tied Florida junior Leanne Wong on the bars.

Stanford sophomore Anna Roberts earned the title on the vault after scoring a career-best 9.9500.

AP Olympics coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

California's Mya Lauzon competes in the floor exercise during the NCAA women's gymnastics championships in Fort Worth, Texas, Thursday, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)