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sports Dialuna 21 Maart 2022

Moore scores 21, Houston hammers Illinois to make Sweet 16

(AP) — Taze Moore early going, and the intense
scored 21 points, Jamal pressure seemed to squeeze
Shead added 18 and Hous- the rims a little tighter, too.
ton, a Final Four team last
season, advanced to the Unlike Friday’s game, when
Sweet 16 of the NCAA Houston started six of seven
Tournament with a 68-53 on 3-pointers to startle UAB,
win Sunday over Illinois, the Cougars were off the
ousted in the opening mark — in some cases, way
weekend for the second off. Illinois was even worse,
straight year. starting 1 of 9 on 3s.
The fifth-seeded Cougars The bigger issue, though,
(31-5), who lost their two was the Illini couldn’t figure
best players to season-ending out how to get the ball inside
injuries, are headed home to Cockburn, who had two
to Texas for the next round, and three Houston players
which will be in San Anto- swarming on him whenever
nio, about a three-hour drive he got a touch. On one of the
from Houston. rare occasions the 7-footer
got it cleanly, Josh Carlton
Kyler Edwards added 15 grabbed his arms and was
points for Houston, a team called for a Flagrant 1 foul.
often overlooked but making
major noise again this March. lini (23-10) were determined in what was likely his last col- it went out of bounds with Houston opened a 12-point
to go farther after being lege game. his left hand to Moore for a lead, and Illinois was reeling.
With Houston’s fans chant- bumped by Loyola Chicago layup.
ing “Sweet 16, Sweet 16” in last year, but couldn’t get past Down by 12 in the first half, That’s when coach Brad Un-
the final seconds, Edwards the second round again. Illinois battled back and was It’s been that kind of season derwood turned to freshman
dropped one last 3-point- within 56-49 after Alfonso for the Cougars, who lost reserve Luke Goode, who
er and seconds later lifted All-American center Kofi Plummer’s four-point play. Marcus Sasser and Tramon came off the bench and made
Moore, another of Houston’s Cockburn did his part, scor- Mark — two mainstays from a pair of 3-pointers.
transfers, off the floor. ing 19 in 38 minutes to lead But after Shead hit a floater, last year’s semifinal team —
Illinois. The big man spurned Houston’s Fabian White Jr. but are one of 16 teams still Trent Frazier’s nailed a 3 at
For Illinois, it’s another year the NBA last year for a shot made the play of the game alive for a national title, the horn to pull the Illini
of deep disappointment. The at some tournament redemp- by racing into the backcourt within 30-26 at half.
fourth-seeded Fighting Il- tion, only to come up short and swatting the ball before Both teams were tight in the

Private investigator says drug kingpin targeted David Ortiz

(AP) — A Dominican kingpin in 2019 and he was be Sixto David Fernandez, Ortiz maintained a home in tine after the shooting and he
drug trafficker who was extradited to the U.S. terri- who was sharing a table with the Boston area and had been underwent further surgery in
jealous of David Ortiz and tory in December. Ortiz when he was shot. Au- living part of the year in the the U.S.
felt disrespected by him thorities said the hit men Dominican Republic. He
had him shot at a Domini- Ortiz’s spokesperson, Joe confused Fernandez with was seriously wounded in the Ortiz told the Globe he
can nightclub in 2019, ac- Baerlein, told the Globe that Ortiz, one of the most pop- June 9, 2019 shooting. Doc- wants to know why anyone
cording to private inves- Davis’ findings were with- ular Dominican ballplayers tors in the Dominican Re- might want him dead, but
tigators the Red Sox slug- held for Ortiz’s safety until ever. public removed Ortiz’s gall- “the most important thing is,
ger hired to look into the Peralta was in U.S. custody. bladder and part of his intes- thank God I’m alive.”
attack that nearly killed Thirteen people have been
him. Peralta has not been charged charged in relation to Ortiz’s
in relation to Ortiz’s shoot- shooting and are awaiting
The findings by former Bos- ing. Peralta’s lawyer, Joaquin trial in the Dominican Re-
ton police commissioner Ed- Perez, said Peralta had noth- public.
ward Davis reported by the ing to do with the attempt on
Boston Globe on Saturday Ortiz’s life. Baerlein said Ortiz was wait-
contradict the theory of the ing further legal action in the
crime developed by Domini- “As bad as César Peralta is, it’s Dominican and U.S. courts
can prosecutors. not even close to being in the to bring clarity about why
ballpark to say he had some- this happened to him.
Davis told the newspaper that thing to do with this,” Perez
he identified the drug-traf- said. A 10-time All-Star, Or-
ficker César Peralta as hav- tiz helped the Red Sox end
ing orchestrated the shooting Perez described Ortiz and their 86-year championship
by placing a bounty on Ortiz Peralta as “close friends.” Or- drought in 2004 and bat-
and sanctioning the hit squad tiz told The Globe he knew ted .688 against the St. Louis
that tried to kill him. Do- Peralta only casually and that Cardinals in 2013 to win the
minican authorities did not he was “sad, confused, angry, Series MVP.
cooperate with the private in- all kinds of emotions” when
vestigation. he received the news from Ortiz retired after the 2016
Davis and Ric Prado, a for- season with 541 home runs,
Peralta is being held in held mer high-ranking CIA offi- and the team retired his uni-
without bail in Puerto Rico cial who participated in the form No. 34. He was elected
on unrelated charges of con- inquiry. to the Baseball Hall of Fame
spiracy to import cocaine and in his first appearance on the
heroin. The U.S. Treasury Dominican authorities have ballot in January.
designated Peralta a drug said the target was meant to