Giants defeat Padres for Tony Vitello's first win as manager

TheSan Francisco Giantsended their winless streak to start the 2026 season, collecting their first win in the Tony Vitello era after defeating theSan Diego Padres,3-2, on March 30.

Under Vitello — joined the Giants as manager in October 2025 — San Francisco had dropped all three of its games in the season-opening series against theNew York Yankees. The Giants went on the road to face the Padres, their NL West divisional rivals, where they got their first victory of the season.

Harrison Bader opened the scoring in the third inning with a 408-foot bomb over left field. The Giants added a couple of runs in the fourth inning by methodically filling the bases, something they hardly did in their series against the Yankees.

San Francisco went up 3-0 in the fourth inning. Patrick Bailey singled to left, which allowed Matt Chapman to cross home plate, as Jung Hoo Lee went to second. Another run shortly followed after Casey Schmitt hit an RBI single to left field that allowed Lee to score.

"The first one's huge," Bader told NBC Sports Bay Area. "Just a matter of going out there and, you know, continuing to process, you know, throwing strikes, taking care of the baseball, getting your swing off as a hitter. You do that, I think good thing happens in the lineup. It felt good to kind of get that off out of the way. Just a good team win."

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San Diego finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the ninth inning, when Jackson Merrill hit a two-run home run to right field that scored Jake Cronenworth. However, the Giants got the next batter, Xander Bogaerts, to ground out to shortstop to end the game.

Vitello was doused in beer to celebrate the first major-league win of his career.

"Yeah, it's hard to comprehend, because I got the same disease as every other coach. You're kind of you want the proper guys to get their props. That got it done tonight, which really it was a lot of guys, especially if you include defense," Vitello told reporters after the game.

He added: "Also look ahead in the next game, is an opportunity to win a series down here and continue things in the right direction. So probably soak in getting back to the hotel. But yeah, pretty special looking around the room, whether it's in the office, in the dugout or in the lock, some of these guys have been slower to come out of their shell with me, but it's little moments like that, or breaking camp or opening day where I think, you know, the bond grows a little bit, which, you know, at the end of the day, we want to be a strong unit right now."

Vitello believes that the team will continue grow as a unit as the season wears on. The Giants face the Padres again onMarch 31at Petco Park, with first pitch scheduled for 9:40 p.m. ET.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Giants get first win of Tony Vitello era vs. San Diego Padres

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March 30, 2026

Giants defeat Padres for Tony Vitello's first win as manager

TheSan Francisco Giantsended their winless streak to start the 2026 season, collecting their first win in the Tony Vitell...

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LeBron James triple-double leads Luka Doncic-less Lakers to win over Wizards

The red-hotLos Angeles Lakersbarely skipped a beat without the presence of Luka Doncic. LeBron James made sure of it.

With Doncic out of the lineup Monday to servehis one-game suspensionafterreceiving his 16th technical foulof the season against theBrooklyn Netson March 27, James powered the Lakers to a120-101win over theWashington Wizardsbehind his 21-point triple-double at Crypto.com Arena on Monday, March 30.

James had 12 assists and 10 rebounds to go along with his 20-ball, and LA clicked offensively with six players scoring in double figures. Austin Reaves, Luke Kennard and Jaxson Hayes each put up 19 points — with Reaves adding nine assists — while Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton scored 14 and 12, respectively as the Lakers cruised to their third straight victory and their 15th in their last 17 games.

It was also the 1,228th win of James' career, including playoffs, tying yet another Kareem Abdul-Jabbar record for most all-time.

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"He's very praiseworthy," head coach JJ Redick told reporters postgame. "I don't know what else to say about him. At this point. I've tried to give every version of the same soliloquy on his longevity."

The one thing the Lakers didn't do on Monday was clinch a playoff spot or the Pacific Division, which they entered the day with an opportunity to do. LA took care of their end with a win over Washington, but they also needed a loss by thePhoenix Suns, who pulled away from theMemphis Grizzliesin fourth quarter for a131-105win.

The Lakers host theCleveland CavaliersonTuesday, March 31, when they'll have a shot to win 50 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:LeBron James' triple-double leads Lakers to win without Luka Doncic

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March 30, 2026

LeBron James triple-double leads Luka Doncic-less Lakers to win over Wizards

The red-hotLos Angeles Lakersbarely skipped a beat without the presence of Luka Doncic. LeBron James made sure of it. ...

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Women's Elite Eight winners and losers include Notre Dame and Duke

Did you like last season's Women's Final Four?

Well, then you are going to love what the2026 Women's Final Fourhas in store. Same teams, different semifinal matchups.

All four No. 1 seeds advanced to Phoenix where the semifinals will take place April 3 and championship April 5 at the Mortgage Matchup Center.

UConn will face South Carolina (7 p.m. ET) in the first semifinal and UCLA will take on Texas (9 p.m.) in the second on Friday. The two winners will play in the championship Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET). All games will be telecast on the ESPN family on networks.

The Huskies are the defending national champions and riding a 54-game win streak heading into the tournament. But the Bruins, Longhorns and Gamecocks have seven loses between them and have all proved they have a chance at a national title.

How did the four advance? Let's take a look at the winners and losers in the Elite Eight.

The Alabama bench celebrate after a big three-point shot by Alabama Crimson Tide guard Karly Weathers (22) in the fourth quarter against Louisville during the 2026 NCAA Women's March Madness Second Round basketball at the KFC Yum Center In Louisville, Ky. Weathers finished with 13 points. March 23, 2026.

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See women's March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities

The Alabama bench celebrate after a big three-point shot by Alabama Crimson Tide guard Karly Weathers (22) in the fourth quarter against Louisville during the2026 NCAA Women's March MadnessSecond Round basketball at the KFC Yum Center In Louisville, Ky. Weathers finished with 13 points. March 23, 2026.

Winners

Texas point guard Rori Harmon

Few players stuffed the stat sheet more in the second weekend of the Women's NCAA Tournament than theTexas Longhorns' veteran point guard. Harmon averaged nine points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and 3.5 steals in lopsided wins over Kentucky and Michigan. After suffering a season-ending knee injury as a junior, Harmon came back to Texas and guided the Longhorns to back-to-back Final Four appearances. She's also the only player in the history of Division I NCAA women's basketball to tally at least 1,500 points, 900 rebounds, 600 assists and 350 steals in a career. She'll have the chance to cement her legacy as one of the best players in program history this weekend in Phoenix.

South Carolina guard Agot Makeer

The 2026 Women's NCAA Tournament marks the first for Agot Makeer, but she's not playing like your typical freshman. Makeer averaged 6.6 points per game during the regular season, but has stepped up her offensive production in March Madness. She's averaging 14.7 points through four tournament games and has provided a punch off the bench for South Carolina. She scored a career-high 18 points in South Carolina's 78-52 Elite Eight rout of No. 3 TCU. Makeer, who shot 8-of-14 from the field including 1-of-2 from the 3-point line, received a big hug from head coach Dawn Staley following her performance.

Notre Dame

Notre Dame didn't win its Elite Eight matchup with UConn, but the Fighting Irish defied expectations. With three players on the roster from the previous season and numerous transfer players, Notre Dame was one game away from the Final Four. Head coach Niele Ivey said she was happy and grateful to reach the Elite Eight for the first time in her tenure and "get over the hump" after making the Sweet Sixteen for five straight seasons.

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"I'm so grateful and blessed that I get a chance to do what I love and in coaching this group," Ivey said. "Obviously, we wanted to win this game, but for them to cement their legacy with me getting us back to the Elite Eight is something special, and I'll never forget it. This is one of my most special groups I've ever been around ... I love them so much."

For star player Hannah Hidalgo, this year's roster changed her as a leader. The junior guard said she was a lot more intentional this season with understanding each of her teammates, and that made a huge difference.

"You know, they've helped me grow my patience and just my understanding, just the way I think," Hidalgo said. "I'm so grateful for each and every single one of them. I wouldn't want to go to war with anybody else in this world."

Michigan State's Rashunda Jones (1) walks off the court following a second-round game in the NCAA women's basketball tournament between the Oklahoma Sooners and Michigan State Spartans at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Sunday March 22, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Kamy Peppler #1 of the Green Bay Phoenix reacts against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the third quarter during the First Round of the Women's NCAA Tournament at Williams Arena on March 20, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers defeated the Phoenix 75-58.

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March Sadness hits hard in the Women's NCAA basketball tournament

Michigan State's Rashunda Jones (1) walks off the court following a second-round game in theNCAA women's basketballtournament between the Oklahoma Sooners and Michigan State Spartans at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Sunday March 22, 2026.

Losers

Duke

The Blue Devils blew a double-digit lead and went cold in the second half against UCLA, losing in the Elite Eight for the second straight year. To make matters worse for Blue Devils' fans, their men's and women's team both lost in the Elite Eight on Sunday — the men falling to UConn in heartbreaking, buzzer-beater fashion. For the women's team, the Blue Devils simply didn't get what they needed from two of their top scorers, Ashlon Jackson and Toby Fournier. In her final game for Duke, Jackson shot 0-of-8 from the floor, going scoreless in 37 minutes of action. Fournier encountered some foul trouble and found difficulty scoring against Lauren Betts in the post, putting up 10 points in 27 minutes. UCLA hammered Duke in the paint and stifled them at the 3-point line. Before she turns her attention to coaching Team USA in the World Cup this summer, Kara Lawson has to retool the roster to replace the backcourt of Jackson and Taina Mair, who guided Duke to two straight ACC titles.

Michigan

The Wolverines made it back to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2022, but their journey ended painfully. Michigan only had 29 points through three quarters against Texas, finishing with 41 points. The Longhorns lead ballooned as high as forty points during the fourth quarter, but the damage was done during the third quarter. Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico sat silently as Texas players like Madison Booker, Breya Cunningham, Justice Carlton and X- factor Kyla Oldacre went to work."It was tough. We've been a team that has fought through everything this year, and we've challenged ourselves against the best teams in the country to be in a position that we were tonight, Barnes Arico said.

"We've always been able to find that second gear. Tonight we couldn't against Texas."

"And I think we were letting the emotion -- you know, (Brooke Quarles Danies) knew it was her last game. The emotion of the game was really getting to us. So it was hard to be in those moments down the stretch."

The Wolverines finished Monday's showdown with Texas shooting just 23%. Michigan also got outrebounded, 49-32, an area they usually own despite being undersized. Barnes Arico's team also struggled to move the ball effectively against Texas and never truly found a sustained offensive rhythm. The Wolverines had five assists in the contest.

TCU's duo of Olivia Miles and Marta Suarez

After scoring or assisting on all of TCU's points in the Horned Frogs' 79-69 Sweet 16 win over No. 10 Virginia, Olivia Miles and Marta Suarez struggled to replicate that performance. TCU's dynamic duo shot 10-of-37 from the field and 4-of-14 from the 3-point line in a 78-52 Elite Eight loss to South Carolina. Miles finished with a team-high 18 points and Suarez had nine points.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Women's Elite Eight winners and losers include Notre Dame and Duke

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March 30, 2026

Women's Elite Eight winners and losers include Notre Dame and Duke

Did you like last season's Women's Final Four? Well, then you are going to love what the2026 Women'...

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Why the nation trying to broker US-Iran peace talks risks being drawn into the conflict

In the month since the US and Israel began their aerialbombing campaign of Iran, thousands of people have been killed across at least nine countries in a rapidly escalating conflict that is costing economies billions of dollars a day. The world is facing a globalenergy crisis.

But the scale of this war could get much, much worse.

Iran has fired salvos of drones and missiles at Saudi Arabia, as well as fellow Gulf Cooperation Council members Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

Yet, so far, none of these countries have retaliated against Tehran.

"Saudi Arabia has been very patient," said retired Lieutenant General Muhammad Saeed, formerly the second highest officer in the Pakistan Army.

"If the Saudis retaliate militarily, it won't be the Saudis alone," Saeed continued. "That would then put the entire region into flames."

Saudi Arabia's direct involvement in the war would have implications that go far beyond fellow Arab countries in the Gulf.

In 2025, Saudi Arabia signed a mutual defense agreement with Pakistan.

During a meeting with the Saudi foreign minister in Islamabad on Sunday, Pakistan's prime minister thanked his ally for its "remarkable restraint."

He also assured the Saudi diplomat that "Pakistan would always stand shoulder to shoulder with Saudi Arabia."

The implication is, if the Islamic Republic of Iran pushes Saudi Arabia too far, it could end up forcing its nuclear-armed neighbor Pakistan to come to Riyadh's defense.

The Pakistani leadership isn't exactly spoiling for a fight.

It has been less than a year since arch-rivals India and Pakistan fought a 4-day air-and-missile war against each other. And the Pakistani military has been engaged in cross-border skirmishes with the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan for months.

Pakistan has tremendous incentive to help de-escalate the conflict. And after launching drones and missiles at so many of its neighbors, Iran has very few friends left in the region.

"The least problematic relationship [Iran] has in its strategic environment is Pakistan," says Kamran Bokhari, Senior Resident Fellow with the Middle East Policy Council in Washington.

"There is no other channel."

The recognition that the current conflict will only lead to further "death and destruction," in the words of Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, is what prompted the top diplomats from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt to meet him for crisis talks in the Pakistani capital on Sunday.

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After those discussions, Dar argued that some kind of US-Iran peace talks hosted by Pakistan were on the table.

"Both Iran and the US have expressed their confidence in Pakistan to facilitate the talks," Dar said, adding that such a meeting could be possible "in coming days."

In his statement on Sunday, Dar also cited a recent call with his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

"China fully supports Pakistan's initiative to host Iran-US talks," Dar said.

The Pakistani diplomat is scheduled to fly to China on Tuesday for talks, despite suffering a hairline shoulder fracture in a fall during his meeting with the Egyptian delegation.

But Pakistan's crisis diplomacy faces graver challenges.

Last weekend, Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen entered the fray, firing missiles for the first time in this round of hostilities at Israel, further expanding the regional war.

Meanwhile, the US is deploying thousands of troops to the Middle East, raising the specter of possible ground operations against Iran.

And there are voices inside Iran, vowing to continue the fight for an extended period.

"This is our war, and we will not stop defending until we teach Trump and Netanyahu a historic lesson," asenior Iranian security officialtold CNN's Fred Pleitgen.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that Iran did not participate in any recent meetings organized by Pakistan with regional countries, saying they take the form of a framework not agreed upon by Iran.

"The meetings that Pakistan holds with neighboring countries are within a framework they have designed themselves, and we have not participated in this framework," he said.

According to the spokesperson, while the US has conveyed requests for negotiations and proposals through intermediaries, including Pakistan, Iran's current priority is defending itself against ongoing attacks. "Right now, under conditions in which America's military aggression and assault continue intensely, certainly all our efforts, all our capacity, are devoted to defending ourselves," the spokesperson said.

The situation is incredibly fluid and dangerous. Both the Trump Administration and the Islamic Republic of Iran are declaring victory, while simultaneously firing tons of deadly munitions at each other.

But even the warring parties in this conflict have demonstrated moments of restraint.

The risk that this war could expand far further is all too real.

CNN's Sophia Saifi contributed to this report.

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byAdministrator

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March 30, 2026

Why the nation trying to broker US-Iran peace talks risks being drawn into the conflict

In the month since the US and Israel began their aerialbombing campaign of Iran, thousands of people have been killed acr...

Read More