BASKETBALL
Moncrief a Hall of Fame finalist
Former Arkansas guard Sidney Moncrief is a finalist for the 2017 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class.
Moncrief is one of 14 finalists. Other notable finalists include former players Tim Hardaway, Chris Webber and Tracy Mc-Grady; NBA Finals championship coach and former player Rudy Tomjanovich; NCAA championship coaches Bill Self and Rollie Massimino; and former college coach Bo Ryan.
This year’s class will be announced April 3 at the Final Four in Phoenix and will be enshrined Sept. 9 in Springfield, Mass.
Moncrief, a Little Rock native, was part of Arkansas’ famed “Triplets” in the 1970s, along with Ron Brewer and Marvin Delph. The trio led the Razorbacks to the 1978 Final Four where they finished third.
In four seasons, Moncrief averaged 16.9 points and 8.3 rebounds for the Razorbacks. He led the NCAA in field goal percentage (66.5 percent) during his freshman season and was a first-team All-American as a senior.
Moncrief’s No. 32 jersey was retired at Arkansas in the 1980s.
Moncrief was a five-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA defensive player of the year in 11 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks. He had a career average of 15.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
No former Arkansas player has been elected to the Naismith Hall of Fame. Former Razorbacks coach Nolan Richardson was enshrined in 2014.
GOLF
UALR men in sixth place
UALR lowered its score by 19 strokes and moved into sixth place after two rounds of the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate in Palm Desert, Calif.
The Trojans, who opened with a 300, shot a 281 in Saturday’s second round. Oregon leads the tournament with a 553 while Colorado is second with a 557. Kansas is third with a 569.
Tyler Reynolds in the Trojans’ top player after shooting a 139 in the opening two rounds. Reynolds, who shot a 70 in the first round, followed with a 69 in the second. Norman Xiong of Oregon leads with a 132.
The tournament resumes with the final round beginning at 9 a.m. today.
SOFTBALL
UCA splits in Baton Rouge
Central Arkansas defeated Georgia Southern 6-1 and lost 9-2 to LSU on Saturday at the Purple and Gold Challenge in Baton Rouge.
Central Arkansas secured the victory in the opener thanks to a six-run sixth inning that got started with a single from second baseman Krissy Fontillas, who moved to second on an infield single by center fielder Jessie Hoover. A third single, this one from left fielder Hannah Stirton, drove in Fontillas to even the game at 1-1.
A throwing error on a ground ball from third baseman Audrey Pratt scored Hoover. After Pratt stole second, right fielder Briana Whisenhunt added a single before first baseman Kaylyn Shepherd drew a walk to load the bases.
The Bears then took advantage of a wild pitch, an illegal pitch and a sacrifice fly from designated player Morgan Felts to extend the lead to 6-1.
Kayla Gomness limited Georgia Southern to 1 unearned run on 3 hits with 1 walk while striking out 4 in the complete-game victory.
Against LSU, Central Arkansas took a 2-0 lead in the first two innings before LSU tied the game 2-2 in the fourth inning on a sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly. The Tigers took a 3-2 lead in the fifth with an RBI double before breaking the game open with two three-run home runs.
Ellie Reaves (1-2) took the loss for the Bears, allowing 6 runs on 10 hits and 1 walk in 5 innings. Jordan Ward surrendered 2 earned runs on 2 hits in 1 inning of relief.