Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Basketball-Record 18.7 million watch Iowa-South Carolina women's championship

The NCAA women's championship clash between Iowa and South Carolina was watched by 18.7 million viewers on Sunday - a record for a women's college basketball game, ESPN said. It peaked at 24 million viewers on ABC and ESPN, the sports broadcaster said, and was the most-watched basketball game across men's, women's, college or professional sport since 2019.

NHL roundup: Predators top Devils, move into top wild-card spot

Ryan O'Reilly scored the only goal in the shootout on Sunday night for the Nashville Predators, who inched closer to clinching a playoff berth by edging the New Jersey Devils 3-2 in Newark, N.J. O'Reilly shuffled the puck several times before sending a shot beyond the glove of Devils goaltender Jake Allen.

Golf-From Drive, Chip & Putt to the Masters, Bhatia is living the dream

Every kid in Augusta National's Drive, Chip & Putt competition dreams of one day returning to play the Masters and Akshay Bhatia will be the first to make that fantasy a reality on Thursday in a story that is developing into a Hollywood script. If winning the Texas Open in a playoff over Denny McCarthy on Sunday to claim the last spot in the Masters field was not enough of a fairytale, Bhatia made it all the more dramatic when he dislocated his shoulder doing a massive fist pump after draining a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th to force extra holes.

FIFA resolves lawsuit by sports promoter owned by billionaire Ross

FIFA has settled an antitrust lawsuit accusing soccer's world governing body of illegally banning foreign clubs and leagues from staging official matches in the United States. The settlement with Relevent Sports, a sports promoter controlled by billionaire Miami Dolphins American football team owner Stephen Ross, was disclosed in a Monday filing with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

South Carolina gets revenge on Clark, Iowa to win national title

CLEVELAND -- The goal of redemption led to perfection for South Carolina's women's basketball team. Confetti fell on the Gamecocks after freshman Tessa Johnson scored a career-high 19 points to power South Carolina to an 87-75 victory over fellow No. 1 seed Iowa in the national championship game on Sunday in a sold-out Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

Take 5: Top Kentucky candidates to replace John Calipari

A stunning domino effect has left Kentucky searching for a coach to replace the embattled John Calipari, who is reportedly leaving the Wildcats for SEC rival Arkansas. In some ways, it may be ripping the band-aid off a situation where Calipari had lost significant faith from both athletic director Mitch Barnhart and a rabid fan base. But who replaces the 65-year-old, who led Kentucky to a national title and three other Final Four appearances, may turn out to be far more complex than one would anticipate for one of the nation's most prestigious programs.

50 years after historic homer, Henry Aaron to get HOF statue

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will memorialize Henry Aaron with a statue in Cooperstown, N.Y., making the announcement on the 50th anniversary of his historic home run No. 715. It was April 8, 1974, that Aaron, playing for the Braves, broke Babe Ruth's longstanding homer record with his blast off the Los Angeles Dodgers' Al Downing in Atlanta. He went on to hit 755 career homers.

NBA roundup: Tyrese Maxey scores 52 as 76ers top Spurs in second overtime

Tyrese Maxey poured in a career-high 52 points and Ricky Council IV and KJ Martin had big baskets in the second overtime as the visiting Philadelphia 76ers outlasted the San Antonio Spurs 133-126 on Sunday. A three-point play by Council tied the score 126-126 with 3:04 left in the second OT and two free throws by Council with 1:56 to play gave the 76ers a two-point lead. Nicolas Batum then canned a 3-pointer and Martin followed with a dunk on the break -- the game's final points -- with 1:09 left to push Philadelphia's lead to seven.

MLB roundup: Marlins shake off 0-9 start, clobber Cards

Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Nick Gordon hit three-run homers in the first inning as the visiting Miami Marlins defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 10-3 on Sunday for their first victory of the season. Jake Burger and Josh Bell each drove in two runs and Luis Arraez went 4-for-5 with three runs for the Marlins, who had started the campaign 0-9.

Golf-Masters eclipse steals spotlight from Augusta National

The course at Augusta National Golf Club is typically the star attraction during Masters week but on Monday the famed layout was momentarily eclipsed by a celestial event that left captivated golfers and spectators looking skyward. At Augusta National, a horticultural masterpiece whose flora provides a vibrant backdrop to one of the world's most exclusive golf courses, the sky slightly darkened and temperatures dropped during a practice round as the area experienced a partial solar eclipse.