ST. LOUIS (AP) — Braden Smith scored 26 points and became the Division I career leader in assists, guiding No. 2 seed Purdue to a 104-71 win over Queens University on Friday night in the NCAA Tournament.

The Boilermakers seized control with a pair of 10-0 runs, once in the waning moments of the first half and in the opening minutes of the second half. Trey Kaufman-Renn's basket after an offensive rebound capped the second surge and stretched Purdue's lead to 58-36 with 16:27 to play.

Purdue (28-8) led by at least 20 the rest of the way.

About eight minutes in, Smith handed out his 1,077th career assist, breaking the record previously held by Duke’s Bobby Hurley. The milestone came when Smith, wearing glittering black Nike sneakers, set up a layup by Kaufman-Renn that gave Purdue a 17-12 advantage.

Smith finished with eight assists and made 10 of 15 shots as Purdue converted at a 63% clip from the field, including 58% from 3-point range.

Kaufman-Renn contributed 25 points and nine rebounds, and Oscar Cluff had nine points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks for Purdue.

Jordan Watford and Nasir Mann, the younger brother of Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann, led the 15th-seeded Royals (21-14) with 10 points apiece.

Coach Matt Painter will go for his 500th Purdue victory in the next round of the West Region against either No. 7 seed Miami or 10th-seeded Missouri. The Boilermakers are seeking their third straight trip to round of 16 and seventh in nine years.

The other two years featured quick exits as a No. 2 seed against Saint Peter's in 2022 and as a No. 1 seed against Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023.

There was no such magic from Queens.

The 1,500-student school from Charlotte, North Carolina, which began as a women’s institute, is the smallest, by enrollment, to ever play in the NCAA Tournament. It won the Atlantic Sun tournament for a spot in the bracket in its first year of Division I eligibility.

The Boilermakers never trailed, making baskets on their first six possessions without much resistance from the nation's 349th-ranked scoring defense. Still, the Royals stayed within striking distance for much of the first half.

Purdue finally pulled away by scoring 10 straight points, including two 3s and a pair of free throws from C.J. Cox, stretching the lead to 45-30 late in the half. Chris Ashby's 3-pointer on the final possession for Queens cut the deficit to 12 at intermission. ___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Zuby Ejiofor had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Bryce Hopkins added 13 points and fifth-seeded St. John's beat Northern Iowa 79-53 on Friday night for its second NCAA Tournament victory since 2000.

Oziyah Sellers scored 11 points for Rick Pitino's gathering Red Storm (29-6), who have won 20 of 21 since early January in increasingly impressive fashion. With a fluid, balanced offensive effort against the nation's stingiest scoring defense, St. John's jumped to a huge early lead at Viejas Arena and never trailed the 12th-seeded Panthers (23-13).

The New York City program revitalized by Pitino ended its 25-year March Madness victory drought last season. After rolling through the Big East tournament last week, Pitino's current team is one win away from the Johnnies' first trip to the Sweet Sixteen in the 21st century.

St. John's will return Sunday to face the winner of fourth-seeded Kansas’ meeting with Cal Baptist in the East Region bracket.

Trey Campbell scored 14 points and Leon Bond III added 12 for Northern Iowa, which surprisingly snared its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016 by streaking through the Missouri Valley Conference tournament last week with four wins in four days as the sixth seed.

The Panthers' stingy defense hung in against the Big East champions' vibrant offense, but Ejiofor and the Johnnies have resembled a national title contender since shortly after the calendar flipped to 2026.

St. John’s made five straight shots while scoring the game’s first 13 points and taking an 18-point lead in the opening minutes. Northern Iowa missed nine of its first 10 shots and didn’t score 10 points until midway through the first half, eventually trailing 47-28 at halftime.

The Johnnies slumped slightly from the field after halftime, but their lead never dipped below 13 points.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Jordan Lee scored 19 points and No. 1-seed Texas opened the women's NCAA Tournament with an 87-45 romp over Missouri State, building a 32-point lead by halftime as the Longhorns started what they hope will be a return trip to the Final Four.

All-American Madison Booker had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Texas (32-3) against the overmatched No. 16-seed Lady Bears. The Longhorns advance to Sunday's second-round game against No. 8-seed Oregon, which beat No. 9 Virginia Tech 70-60 earlier Friday.

The Longhorns overwhelmed Missouri State early with their size and speed at both ends of the court. Kyla Oldacre, at 6-foot-6, scored 15 points was an immovable force under the basket. The quickness of Texas guards Lee, Rori Harmon and Bryanna Preston created open lanes to the basket or shut them down on defense.

Texas led 19-4 after the first quarter and 44-12 by halftime. Missouri State, which won the Conference USA Tournament, made just four baskets in the first half.

Kaemyn Bekemeier scored 14 points to lead Missouri State (23-13).

It wasn't all smooth for the Longhorns after a two-week break following their Southeastern Conference Tournament championship. They looked rusty early and missed nine of 18 layups and shot just 41% in the first half against a team they could bully on both ends of the court.

Texas is a No. 1 seed for the third consecutive year. The Longhorns advanced to the Final Four last season for the first time since 2003. Texas hasn't won a national championship since 1986 when the Longhorns were the first team to go undefeated for the title.

Up next

Oregon coach Kelly Graves beat Texas coach Vic Schaefer to reach the Final Four in 2019 when Schaefer was the head coach at Mississippi State.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

New York Islanders (39-25-5, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Montreal Canadiens (37-21-10, in the Atlantic Division)

Montreal, Quebec; Saturday, 7 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Montreal Canadiens and the New York Islanders face off in Eastern Conference play.

Montreal has a 19-13-2 record in home games and a 37-21-10 record overall. The Canadiens have a 15-5-1 record when scoring a power-play goal.

New York has a 21-14-3 record on the road and a 39-25-5 record overall. The Islanders have a +eight scoring differential, with 198 total goals scored and 190 allowed.

Saturday's game is the second meeting between these teams this season. The Islanders won 4-3 in overtime in the previous meeting. Matthew Schaefer led the Islanders with two goals.

TOP PERFORMERS: Nicholas Suzuki has scored 24 goals with 57 assists for the Canadiens. Cole Caufield has seven goals and four assists over the last 10 games.

Schaefer has 21 goals and 29 assists for the Islanders. Mathew Barzal has one goal and 10 assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Canadiens: 5-4-1, averaging 3.5 goals, 6.1 assists, 3.4 penalties and 7.3 penalty minutes while giving up three goals per game.

Islanders: 6-4-0, averaging 2.9 goals, 4.6 assists, 2.8 penalties and 6.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game.

INJURIES: Canadiens: Josh Anderson: day to day (upper body), Patrik Laine: out (lower-body), Kirby Dach: out (upper body).

Islanders: Alexander Romanov: out (shoulder), Pierre Engvall: out for season (ankle), Semyon Varlamov: out for season (knee), Kyle Palmieri: out (knee), Max Shabanov: day to day (lower-body).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Boston Bruins (38-23-8, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Detroit Red Wings (38-23-8, in the Atlantic Division)

Detroit; Saturday, 8 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Boston Bruins face the Detroit Red Wings in a matchup within the Atlantic Division Saturday.

Detroit has gone 38-23-8 overall with a 12-7-2 record in Atlantic Division play. The Red Wings have scored and allowed 201 goals this season for an even scoring differential.

Boston is 9-8-3 against the Atlantic Division and 38-23-8 overall. The Bruins are second in NHL play with 327 total penalties (averaging 4.7 per game).

The teams meet Saturday for the fourth time this season. The Bruins won 3-0 in the previous matchup.

TOP PERFORMERS: Alex DeBrincat has 34 goals and 38 assists for the Red Wings. Patrick Kane has four goals and five assists over the last 10 games.

David Pastrnak has 27 goals and 56 assists for the Bruins. Pavel Zacha has scored eight goals and added five assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Red Wings: 4-4-2, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.6 assists, 3.4 penalties and 7.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game.

Bruins: 5-2-3, averaging 2.9 goals, 4.7 assists, 3.7 penalties and 9.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.

INJURIES: Red Wings: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard: day to day (undisclosed), Michael Rasmussen: out (undisclosed), Dylan Larkin: out (leg).

Bruins: None listed.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Buffalo Sabres (43-20-6, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Los Angeles Kings (28-24-16, in the Pacific Division)

Los Angeles; Saturday, 4 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Buffalo Sabres aim to keep a three-game win streak intact when they take on the Los Angeles Kings.

Los Angeles has a 10-15-8 record at home and a 28-24-16 record overall. The Kings have a 22-4-8 record when scoring at least three goals.

Buffalo has gone 21-11-3 in road games and 43-20-6 overall. The Sabres are 16-5-4 when scoring a power-play goal.

The teams play Saturday for the second time this season. The Sabres won the previous matchup 4-1. Alex Tuch scored three goals in the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Artemi Panarin has 23 goals and 49 assists for the Kings. Adrian Kempe has five goals and five assists over the last 10 games.

Tage Thompson has 35 goals and 36 assists for the Sabres. Tuch has five goals and three assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Kings: 5-3-2, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.6 assists, 2.6 penalties and 5.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.

Sabres: 9-1-0, averaging 4.1 goals, 6.8 assists, 4.8 penalties and 12.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.1 goals per game.

INJURIES: Kings: Joel Armia: out (upper body), Kevin Fiala: out for season (leg), Andrei Kuzmenko: out (meniscus), Adrian Kempe: day to day (lower body).

Sabres: Jiri Kulich: out for season (ear), Jordan Greenway: out (abdomen), Conor Timmins: out (leg), Justin Danforth: out (lower body), Tanner Pearson: day to day (lower-body).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Tampa Bay Lightning (42-21-4, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Edmonton Oilers (34-27-9, in the Pacific Division)

Edmonton, Alberta; Saturday, 10 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Edmonton Oilers play the Tampa Bay Lightning in a non-conference matchup.

Edmonton has a 34-27-9 record overall and an 18-12-4 record on its home ice. The Oilers are second in league play with 243 total goals (averaging 3.5 per game).

Tampa Bay has a 22-9-4 record in road games and a 42-21-4 record overall. The Lightning are 36-7-0 when scoring at least three goals.

Saturday's game is the second time these teams match up this season. The Lightning won 2-1 in overtime in the previous meeting.

TOP PERFORMERS: Zach Hyman has scored 29 goals with 17 assists for the Oilers. Leon Draisaitl has six goals and 11 assists over the last 10 games.

Nikita Kucherov has 38 goals and 76 assists for the Lightning. Jake Guentzel has scored four goals with four assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Oilers: 5-4-1, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.3 assists, 3.8 penalties and 8.5 penalty minutes while giving up 3.7 goals per game.

Lightning: 4-6-0, averaging 3.6 goals, 6.2 assists, 5.6 penalties and 16.3 penalty minutes while giving up 3.5 goals per game.

INJURIES: Oilers: Curtis Lazar: out (undisclosed), Leon Draisaitl: out (lower-body), Colton Dach: out (undisclosed), Ty Emberson: day to day (undisclosed), Mattias Janmark: out for season (undisclosed).

Lightning: Max Crozier: out (abdomen), Dominic James: out (leg), Declan Carlile: out (undisclosed), Emil Lilleberg: out (face).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Dallas Stars (43-15-10, in the Central Division) vs. Minnesota Wild (39-19-12, in the Central Division)

Saint Paul, Minnesota; Saturday, 4 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Wild host the Dallas Stars after the Stars knocked off the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in a shootout.

Minnesota is 12-7-3 against the Central Division and 39-19-12 overall. The Wild are 35-3-6 when scoring three or more goals.

Dallas is 15-5-2 against the Central Division and 43-15-10 overall. The Stars have a +51 scoring differential, with 232 total goals scored and 181 conceded.

Saturday's game is the third time these teams match up this season. The Wild won 5-2 in the last meeting. Marcus Johansson led the Wild with two goals.

TOP PERFORMERS: Kirill Kaprizov has scored 38 goals with 42 assists for the Wild. Brock Faber has one goal and eight assists over the last 10 games.

Wyatt Johnston has 37 goals and 37 assists for the Stars. Jason Robertson has five goals and 10 assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Wild: 4-4-2, averaging 2.8 goals, 4.6 assists, 4.3 penalties and 10.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.1 goals per game.

Stars: 8-1-1, averaging 3.9 goals, 6.8 assists, 4.3 penalties and 9.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game.

INJURIES: Wild: Joel Eriksson Ek: out (lower-body), Kirill Kaprizov: day to day (lower body), Marcus Foligno: out (lower-body).

Stars: Mikko Rantanen: out (lower-body), Radek Faksa: out (upper-body), Roope Hintz: out (lower body), Tyler Seguin: out for season (acl).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Winnipeg Jets (28-29-11, in the Central Division) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (34-18-16, in the Metropolitan Division)

Pittsburgh; Saturday, 1 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Penguins host the Winnipeg Jets after Erik Karlsson scored two goals in the Penguins' 6-5 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Pittsburgh is 34-18-16 overall and 16-9-8 at home. The Penguins have a +34 scoring differential, with 234 total goals scored and 200 conceded.

Winnipeg is 28-29-11 overall and 11-16-5 on the road. The Jets are 11-11-8 in games decided by a goal.

Saturday's game is the second time these teams match up this season. The Jets won the last matchup 5-2. Kyle Connor scored two goals in the win.

TOP PERFORMERS: Sidney Crosby has 28 goals and 33 assists for the Penguins. Bryan Rust has seven goals and six assists over the last 10 games.

Connor has 31 goals and 47 assists for the Jets. Mark Scheifele has four goals and nine assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Penguins: 4-3-3, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.3 assists, 4.3 penalties and 10.6 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game.

Jets: 5-3-2, averaging 2.5 goals, 4.4 assists, 1.7 penalties and 3.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.

INJURIES: Penguins: Samuel Girard: day to day (upper-body), Kevin Hayes: day to day (upper-body), Ryan Graves: out (undisclosed), Filip Hallander: out (leg), Blake Lizotte: out (upper-body).

Jets: Nino Niederreiter: out (lower body), Vladislav Namestnikov: out (lower body), Colin Miller: out (knee), Neal Pionk: out (lower-body).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Florida Panthers (34-31-3, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Calgary Flames (27-34-7, in the Pacific Division)

Calgary, Alberta; Friday, 9 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Panthers -111, Flames -109; over/under is 5.5

BOTTOM LINE: The Calgary Flames host the Florida Panthers after the Flames defeated the St. Louis Blues 2-1 in a shootout.

Calgary is 17-12-4 at home and 27-34-7 overall. The Flames have conceded 210 goals while scoring 166 for a -44 scoring differential.

Florida has gone 16-17-0 in road games and 34-31-3 overall. The Panthers have a -23 scoring differential, with 201 total goals scored and 224 given up.

The teams play Friday for the second time this season. The Flames won 5-3 in the last matchup.

TOP PERFORMERS: Mikael Backlund has 15 goals and 23 assists for the Flames. Blake Coleman has three goals and two assists over the past 10 games.

Carter Verhaeghe has 20 goals and 29 assists for the Panthers. Sam Bennett has six goals and four assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Flames: 3-6-1, averaging 2.2 goals, 3.4 assists, 3.9 penalties and 8.3 penalty minutes while giving up 3.6 goals per game.

Panthers: 4-6-0, averaging 2.6 goals, 4.2 assists, 3.3 penalties and 8.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game.

INJURIES: Flames: Samuel Honzek: out (upper body), Jonathan Huberdeau: out for season (hip), Jake Bean: out (undisclosed), Yan Kuznetsov: day to day (upper-body).

Panthers: Cole Schwindt: out (lower body), Brad Marchand: out (lower body), Sam Reinhart: out (undisclosed), Uvis Balinskis: out (undisclosed), Jonah Gadjovich: out (upper body), Aleksander Barkov: out (knee).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Seattle Kraken (31-28-9, in the Pacific Division) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (36-21-11, in the Metropolitan Division)

Columbus, Ohio; Saturday, 5 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Columbus Blue Jackets host the Seattle Kraken after Adam Fantilli scored two goals in the Blue Jackets' 6-3 win against the New York Rangers.

Columbus has a 36-21-11 record overall and a 19-8-7 record on its home ice. The Blue Jackets have a 10-7-10 record in games decided by a goal.

Seattle has a 14-14-4 record in road games and a 31-28-9 record overall. The Kraken have given up 204 goals while scoring 193 for a -11 scoring differential.

The teams match up Saturday for the second time this season. The Blue Jackets won 2-1 in a shootout in the last matchup.

TOP PERFORMERS: Charlie Coyle has 17 goals and 38 assists for the Blue Jackets. Fantilli has six goals and six assists over the last 10 games.

Chandler Stephenson has 14 goals and 27 assists for the Kraken. Bobby McMann has four goals and two assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Blue Jackets: 7-0-3, averaging 3.8 goals, 6.4 assists, 3.8 penalties and 10.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.

Kraken: 4-6-0, averaging three goals, 5.1 assists, 2.7 penalties and 6.2 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.

INJURIES: Blue Jackets: Brendan Smith: out (knee).

Kraken: Jaden Schwartz: out (face), Eeli Tolvanen: day to day (undisclosed), Ryan Winterton: day to day (illness).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov scored in a shootout to give the Philadelphia Flyers their fourth victory in five games, 4-3 over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night.

Noah Cates had a goal and an assist, Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim also scored, and Samuel Ersson made 22 saves. The Flyers remained six points behind Boston and Detroit for the two Eastern Conference wild-card spots.

On Wednesday night at Anaheim, Cates scored in overtime in the Flyers' 3-2 victory over the Ducks.

Adrian Kempe and Artemi Panarin failed on their shootout attempts for Los Angeles, though the Kings still moved into the second wild card in the Western Conference.

Artemi Panarin had a goal and an assist for Los Angeles. Quinton Byfield and Anze Kopitar also scored, and Darcy Kuemper made 17 saves.

Panarin ensured the Kings picked up a point in the standings with a blistering wrist shot on a power play that tied it at 3 with 9:32 remaining.

The Flyers were without forwards Sean Couturier (upper body), Luke Glendening (lower body) and Denver Barkey (upper body), leaving them to play with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.

Up Next

Flyers: At San Jose on Saturday.

Kings: Host Buffalo on Saturday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Rookie VJ Edgecombe scored a career high 38 points with 11 assists, Justin Edwards was 7 of 11 from 3-point range and finished with 32 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Sacramento Kings 139-118 on Thursday night.

Quentin Grimes scored 27 points as the 76ers ended a five-game road losing streak and won for the fourth time in their last six games playing without their two biggest stars — Joel Embiid (strained right oblique) and Tyrese Maxey (finger).

Embiid has missed 11 straight games but coach Nick Nurse said he has been making progress.

Edwards shot 11 of 18 from the field overall and went 3 for 3 from the line.

Maxime Raynaud led the Kings with 30 points and Daeqwon Plowden had 20. Dylan Cardwell had 14 rebounds. For the Kings, it was their third loss in their last five games.

Philadelphia shot 50% from the field overall and 47% from 3-point range, compared to 38% from deep for Sacramento.

The 76ers took the lead for good with 3:08 remaining in the second quarter. The score was 71-62 at halftime, with Grimes scoring 20 points. The 76ers extended their lead to 114-91 during the fourth quarter, fueled by a 16-2 scoring run.

The Kings Malik Monk left the game with an injured right shoulder and did not return.

Up next

76ers: Play at Utah on Saturday night.

Kings: Host Brooklyn on Sunday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.