Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Maryland dodges 11th-seeded Belmont to advance

Jalen Smith and Bruno Fernando had double-doubles as sixth-seeded Maryland edged 11th-seeded Belmont 79-77 on Thursday in an NCAA Tournament East Regional first-round game in Jacksonville, Fla. Smith had 19 points and 12 rebounds and Fernando added 14 points and 13 rebounds. Darryl Morsell scored 18 and Eric Ayala added 12 as the Terrapins prevailed in a back-and-forth game. Kansas rolls past Northeastern to extend 1st-round streak

Junior forward Dedric Lawson recorded 25 points and 11 rebounds Thursday as No. 4-seeded Kansas trounced No. 13-seeded Northeastern 87-53 in the Midwest Regional of the NCAA Tournament at Salt Lake City. The Jayhawks (26-9) extended their streak of first-round wins to 13 while beginning their 30th consecutive NCAA appearance, a tournament record. NHL: Blackhawks, Flyers to open 2019-20 NHL season in Czech Republic

The Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers will open the 2019-20 NHL regular season in the Czech Republic while the Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning play two games in Sweden in November, the league said on Thursday. The trio of matchups are part of the 2019 NHL Global Series and mark the third consecutive year and eighth season overall that the National Hockey League (NHL) has traveled to Europe for regular-season games. NHL roundup: Vasilevskiy sets saves mark in OT win over Caps

Victor Hedman scored 3:01 into overtime, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made a franchise-record and career-high 54 saves as the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Washington Capitals for the second time in five days, 5-4 on Wednesday night. The old Lightning record for saves was 48, set by Ben Bishop in Jan. 19, 2014, and matched by Vasilevskiy on Dec. 13, 2018. Vasilevskiy was stellar at times, but he allowed Washington's Evgeny Kuznetsov to tie the game with 52.6 seconds left in regulation. Tennis: Venus shines as sun returns to Miami Open

Three-times Miami Open champion Venus Williams lit up center court by easing past Slovenian qualifier Dalila Jakupovic 7-5 6-3 in the first round as the sun and fans returned to the tournament on Thursday. After two days of almost constant rain Williams' match on the 13,800 temporary stadium court kicked off a busy day as organizers scrambled to get back on schedule after rain washed away three of the first four sessions. Morant, No. 12 Murray State race past No. 5 Marquette

Star sophomore point guard Ja Morant had 17 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds for the first triple-double in NCAA Tournament play since 2012 to help the Racers roll to a convincing 83-64 victory over Marquette on Thursday in West Region play at Hartford, Conn. Morant dominated the contest from the outset despite taking just nine shots. He recorded his fourth career triple-double as 12th-seeded Murray State (28-4) roughed up the Golden Eagles (24-10). The previous triple-double in NCAA play was achieved by Michigan State's Draymond Green, who had 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a victory over LIU-Brooklyn. U.S. team heading in positive direction from dark place, says Biles

Simone Biles believes U.S gymnastics is moving in a positive direction after the "dark place" it found itself in a year ago following a sex-abuse scandal. The Texas-based 22-year-old, winner of a record-equalling four gold medals at the Rio Olympics, was one of more than 100 gymnasts who say they were abused by former Gymnastics USA doctor Larry Nassar who was jailed last year. Golf: Choi shoots sparkling 65 on return from 11 months off

Golfers are not usually doused in champagne after a first round, but 2012 U.S. Women's Open champion Choi Na-yeon could be excused for feeling like she deserved to celebrate in Arizona on Thursday. Returning to competition after nearly a year out nursing a serious back injury, Choi shot a sparkling seven-under-par 65 in the Founders Cup at Wild Fire Golf Club in Phoenix. Baseball: Team mates weep as Ichiro, baseball's most prolific hitter, retires at 45

Ichiro Suzuki, the most prolific hitter in baseball history and an icon on both sides of the Pacific, retired on Thursday as his fellow Seattle Mariners wept, bowed and hugged him in a Tokyo stadium rocking with cheers. Ichiro, 45, made the announcement after playing for the Mariners in the second game of their Major League Baseball opening series in Japan against the Oakland Athletics. LSU fends off Yale rally for 79-74 win

Naz Reid and Kavell Bigby-Williams both had double-doubles as third-seeded LSU used its superior size to hold off 14th seed Yale 79-74 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament East Regional on Thursday afternoon in Jacksonville, Fla. The Tigers (27-6), regular-season champions of the SEC, scored consistently in the paint and shot 60 percent in the first half as they built a 16-point halftime lead before holding off a second-half charge of the Ivy League champion Bulldogs (22-8).