ORLANDO, Fla. — JP Pegues made a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds remaining and No. 13 seed Furman completed a rally from a 12-point second-half deficit to hand fourth-seeded Virginia another first-round NCAA Tournament loss, 68-67 on Thursday.

Jayla Everett made a go-ahead shot with 0.3 seconds left and St. John’s edged Purdue 66-64 in a First Four game in the women's NCAA Tournament. St. John’s, a No. 11 seed making its 11th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, advances to play sixth-seeded North Carolina in the first round on Saturday.

Providence's Bryce Hopkins and Pittsburgh's Blake Hinson are preparing for NCAA Tournament matchups against schools they left behind as transfers. The Friars meet Kentucky in the East Region. The Panthers will face Iowa State in the Midwest Region. Those games will be played back-to-back in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Friday.

The start of the season can’t come soon enough for teams looking to keep their pitching staffs as healthy as possible. A tough spring for pitchers continued Thursday with the announcements that New York Mets star closer Edwin Díaz and Washington Nationals prospect Cade Cavalli were expected to miss the entire season.

Michael Conforto’s once-ailing shoulder appears healthy and the veteran slugger is back to mashing baseballs. The Giants have eased the 30-year-old back on the field after he missed all of 2022 following right shoulder surgery. But even in limited at-bats in the Cactus League, he’s hit four homers, which was tied for the spring lead through Wednesday’s games. 

WASHINGTON — It's a major international mystery with global consequences: Who was behind the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines last year in the Baltic Sea?

Game show host Chuck Woolery is 82. Actor Erik Estrada is 74. Actor Victor Garber ("DC's Legends of Tomorrow," "Alias") is 74. Singer Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel is 72. Bluegrass musician Tim O'Brien of Hot Rize and Earls of Leicester is 69. Guitarist Nancy Wilson of Heart is 69. Actor Clifton Powell ("Ray," "Norbit") is 67. Rapper Flavor Flav of Public Enemy is 64. Actor Jerome Flynn ("Game of Thrones") is 60. Folk singer Patty Griffin is 59. Singer Tracy Bonham is 56. Actor Lauren Graham ("Parenthood," "Gilmore Girls") is 56. Actor Judah Friedlander ("30 Rock") is 54. Actor Alan Tudyk ("Suburgatory") is 52. Actor Tim Kang ("The Mentalist") is 50. Singer Blu Cantrell is 47. Actor Brooke Burns ("Baywatch") is 45. Actor Kimrie Lewis ("Single Parents," "Scandal") is 41. Actor Brett Davern ("Awkward") is 40. Actor Alexandra Daddario ("True Detective") is 37. Singer Jhene Aiko is 35. Bassist Wolfgang Van Halen of Mammoth WVH is 32.