St. John's fends off Seton Hall, reaches Big East title game

NEW YORK -- Zuby Ejiofor scored 20 points as top-seeded St. John's took control in the second half and fended off a late comeback attempt in its 78-68 victory over fourth-seeded Seton Hall on Friday in the Big East tournament semifinals.

The 13th-ranked Red Storm (27-6) advanced to Saturday's title game and will face second-seed UConn after the Huskies handled 11th-seeded Georgetown 67-51 later Friday. St. John's advanced to the title game in consecutive seasons for the third time in school history and first time since losing to UConn in 1999 and beating the Huskies the following season. This will be the first time the two teams have faced off in the Big East tournament finals since then.

After being swept by the Red Storm in three matchups, the Pirates (21-12) will wait until Sunday's selection show to find out if they will make the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team for the first time since 2022. Seton Hall entered the game with a NET rating of 53 but fell to 1-6 in Quad One games.

Ejiofor finished 8-of-14 shooting after scoring 21 in Thursday's 13-point win over Providence. He had a pair of dunks along with four layups for his fourth straight 20-point showing and 11th overall.

Reserve Joson Sanon added 15 and hit three 3-pointers as the Red Storm beat Seton Hall for the sixth straight time. Dillon Mitchell added 13 on 6-of-10 shooting to go along with six rebounds and five assists while Bryce Hopkins chipped in 13 and a team-leading seven rebounds.

The Red Storm shot 52.1% from the field and made 24 of 30 free-throw attempts (80%). St. John's operated mostly inside the paint as it tied a season low by attempting 12 3-pointers.

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Adam Clark led the Pirates with 17 points but shot 6 of 18 with 11 assists and also committed four of Seton Hall's 12 turnovers. Jacob Dar added 13 points while Mike Williams III and Najai Hines contributed 10 apiece for the Pirates, who trailed by 19 twice in the second half and cut the lead to six before St. John's secured the win.

The Pirates shot 41.5%, misfired on 15 of 20 3-point tries and were unable to reach the championship game for the first time since 2019.

The Red Storm scored the game's first eight points, with Ejiofor's baseline dunk prompting a Seton Hall timeout with 17:06 left. Seton Hall hung around and trailed 38-30 by halftime.

The Red Storm took its second 19-point lead when Ruben Prey hit a free throw with 9:56 left.

Seton Hall attempted a comeback, ripping off seven straight points to get within 55-43 following a layup by Hines with 7:42 left. The Pirates kept rallying and A.J. Staton-McCray hit an open corner 3 with 4:41 left to slice the deficit to 62-56.

Ejiofor broke free for a layup on the next possession and St. John's sank five free throws over the next two minutes to extend the lead to 69-56 before finishing it off.

--Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media

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St. John's fends off Seton Hall, reaches Big East title game

NEW YORK -- Zuby Ejiofor scored 20 points as top-seeded St. John's took control in the second half and fended off ...

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Team USA holds on against Canada to reach WBC semis

Brice Turang and Pete Crow-Armstrong's consecutive RBI singles proved to be the difference in the United States' 5-3 win over Canada in a World Baseball Classic quarterfinal Friday in Houston.

The U.S. will face the Dominican Republic, which crushed South Korea 10-0 in seven innings in its quarterfinal, in a semifinal Sunday in Miami for a spot in Tuesday's championship. The Dominican team has won all five games in this WBC by a combined margin of 51-10.

It appeared the American squad was headed towards a cozy victory when it gradually built a 5-0 lead by the sixth inning.

A first-inning RBI groundout plated Bobby Witt Jr. and the U.S. added two more in the third on an infield single by Alex Bregman compounded by a throwing error by Canadian third baseman Abraham Toro to make it 3-0.

Turang and Crow-Armstrong's back-to-back run-scoring singles from the bottom two spots of the lineup pushed that advantage to five runs, providing insurance that quickly became quite valuable.

Following a three-run sixth inning highlighted by Bo Naylor's two-run homer, Canada put the tying run in scoring position with no outs the very next inning on a pair of infield singles followed by a passed ball. David Bednar retired the next three batters, two on strikeouts, to escape unscathed.

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That proved to be the last real threat as Garrett Whitlock and Mason Miller shut down Canada in order over the final two innings to never again allow the tying run to reach the plate. Miller slammed the door by striking out the side in the ninth for the save.

Logan Webb struck out five over 4 2/3 scoreless innings for the U.S. He allowed four hits and a walk but stranded four runners. In two WBC starts, he's thrown 8 2/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits with 11 strikeouts to one walk.

Brad Keller and Gabe Speier allowed three runs over a combined 1 1/3 innings in immediate relief of Webb.

After Canadian starter Michael Soroka allowed three runs (two earned) over 2 2/3 innings, Micah Ashman stabilized things with 2 1/3 scoreless, one-hit innings.

The U.S. managed four hits over the final 6 2/3 innings, with Aaron Judge's first-inning double going down as the team's only extra-base hit.

Canada, which got two hits apiece from Naylor and leadoff hitter Otto Lopez, was 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, stranding seven runners.

--Field Level Media

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Team USA holds on against Canada to reach WBC semis

Brice Turang and Pete Crow-Armstrong's consecutive RBI singles proved to be the difference in the United States...

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Could the Chicago Bears leave Illinois? Indiana makes a play for the historic franchise

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A turf war over a football team is developing between two Midwestern states with a sometimes-discordant history.

The storied Chicago Bears want to leave historic Soldier Field, where they've played for half a century. Indiana lawmakers are attempting to lure them from the Windy City with a plan tofinance and build a domed stadiumin Hammond, Indiana, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from their current home on Lake Michigan's shore.

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The Illinois General Assembly has responded with legislation that would givetax breaks to so-called megaprojectsof at least $100 million, a plan that would encompass the Bears' proposal to build a complex in the northwest Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, about the same distance from Soldier Field as Hammond.

Critics complain it's a bad deal for Illinois, where property taxes are already among the highest in the nation — especially when taxpayers still owe hundreds of millions of dollars on a Soldier Field renovation from two decades ago.

Here's a look at what's shaping up to be a showdown.

Why the big deal?

The Bears, one of only two remaining NFL founding members, are legend. Their nine championships, including a Super Bowl win, are second only to the rival Green Bay Packers — though recent decades have brought mostly heartbreak. The franchise carries an $8.9 billion price tag, among the most valuable of the NFL's 32 teams, according to Forbes.Born in the central Illinois city of Decatur in 1920, the Bears have called Chicago home for 105 years. Losing them to the Hoosier State would be a major thumb in the eye.What's wrong with Soldier Field?With 61,500 seats, it's the NFL's smallest. The Bears have always rented their facilities — the Cubs' Wrigley Field from 1921 to 1970, and Soldier Field, maintained by the Chicago Park District, since. Like most teams, they want to own a stadium, giving them control over operations, scheduling and revenue streams from ticket sales, concessions, parking, naming rights and more.And Soldier Field is open air. An enclosed facility would allow for other marquee sporting events: Super Bowls, NCAA Final Fours or WrestleMania, for instance.Why the imbroglio between the states?Along with the states' established cultural and economic differences and an intense college basketball rivalry, the political fissure between Democrat-dominated Chicago and conservative Indiana has widened. It amped up last year when Indiana adopted a commission to studychanging the state's boundariesto include some central Illinois counties whose voters have approved ballot measures calling for secession from Chicagoland.Arlington Heights, back to Chicago, to HammondThe Bears have threatened to leave Chicago previously. When theybroached moving in 1975, then-Mayor Richard J. Daley replied, "Like hell they will."But the City of Big Shoulders heaved an anxious sigh in 2023 when the Bears paid about $200 million for a 326-acre (132-hectare) former horse-racing track in Arlington Heights. They have envisioned a$5 billion, taxpayer-assisted developmentfor a domed stadium and campus of housing, hotels, entertainment and retail space.In 2024, the Bearsoffered a $5 billion plan, partially taxpayer-funded, for an enclosed stadium next to Soldier Field, which garnered little interest in the capital of Springfield. Late last fall, the team turned to Indiana.Where the proposals standIndiana's lure creates the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to finance, construct and lease a domed stadium near Wolf Lake in Hammond. Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed it into law on Feb. 26. The Bears would agree to a 35-year lease. Borrowed state money would cover the as-yet-unknown cost of construction, repaid by increased local hospitality taxes.In Illinois, majority Democrats have advanced legislation in the House that would provide incentives for any so-called megaproject of at least $500 million — or less, down to $100 million, depending on the number of jobs created. Developers would pay property taxes frozen at the parcel's pre-construction value for as long as 45 years. During that time, they would make annual payments in lieu of taxes negotiated with local governments. There would also be a sales tax exemption on building materials for up to 15 years.Critics claim weakness in Illinois planOpponents say the Illinois legislation, with its decades-long property tax freeze, would simply mean increased taxes for homeowners and other businesses — the payment in lieu of taxes would be a bonus.Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, who supports the plan, last week countered that the proposal would encourage development on land that isn't producing property taxes while ensuring increased revenue for local governments.Meanwhile, a substantial debt remains on the last accommodation. Taxpayers in 2001 put up $399 million to finance a $587 million renovation of Soldier Field. With interest, the remaining tab is $467 million, according to the state's Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.The Bears' $7 million annual lease runs through 2033. Breaking it would cost the Bears a $10.5 million penalty for each year left on the agreement.

The Bears, one of only two remaining NFL founding members, are legend. Their nine championships, including a Super Bowl win, are second only to the rival Green Bay Packers — though recent decades have brought mostly heartbreak. The franchise carries an $8.9 billion price tag, among the most valuable of the NFL's 32 teams, according to Forbes.

Born in the central Illinois city of Decatur in 1920, the Bears have called Chicago home for 105 years. Losing them to the Hoosier State would be a major thumb in the eye.

What's wrong with Soldier Field?

With 61,500 seats, it's the NFL's smallest. The Bears have always rented their facilities — the Cubs' Wrigley Field from 1921 to 1970, and Soldier Field, maintained by the Chicago Park District, since. Like most teams, they want to own a stadium, giving them control over operations, scheduling and revenue streams from ticket sales, concessions, parking, naming rights and more.

And Soldier Field is open air. An enclosed facility would allow for other marquee sporting events: Super Bowls, NCAA Final Fours or WrestleMania, for instance.

Why the imbroglio between the states?

Along with the states' established cultural and economic differences and an intense college basketball rivalry, the political fissure between Democrat-dominated Chicago and conservative Indiana has widened. It amped up last year when Indiana adopted a commission to studychanging the state's boundariesto include some central Illinois counties whose voters have approved ballot measures calling for secession from Chicagoland.

Arlington Heights, back to Chicago, to Hammond

The Bears have threatened to leave Chicago previously. When theybroached moving in 1975, then-Mayor Richard J. Daley replied, "Like hell they will."

But the City of Big Shoulders heaved an anxious sigh in 2023 when the Bears paid about $200 million for a 326-acre (132-hectare) former horse-racing track in Arlington Heights. They have envisioned a$5 billion, taxpayer-assisted developmentfor a domed stadium and campus of housing, hotels, entertainment and retail space.

In 2024, the Bearsoffered a $5 billion plan, partially taxpayer-funded, for an enclosed stadium next to Soldier Field, which garnered little interest in the capital of Springfield. Late last fall, the team turned to Indiana.

Where the proposals stand

Indiana's lure creates the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to finance, construct and lease a domed stadium near Wolf Lake in Hammond. Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed it into law on Feb. 26. The Bears would agree to a 35-year lease. Borrowed state money would cover the as-yet-unknown cost of construction, repaid by increased local hospitality taxes.

In Illinois, majority Democrats have advanced legislation in the House that would provide incentives for any so-called megaproject of at least $500 million — or less, down to $100 million, depending on the number of jobs created. Developers would pay property taxes frozen at the parcel's pre-construction value for as long as 45 years. During that time, they would make annual payments in lieu of taxes negotiated with local governments. There would also be a sales tax exemption on building materials for up to 15 years.

Critics claim weakness in Illinois plan

Opponents say the Illinois legislation, with its decades-long property tax freeze, would simply mean increased taxes for homeowners and other businesses — the payment in lieu of taxes would be a bonus.Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, who supports the plan, last week countered that the proposal would encourage development on land that isn't producing property taxes while ensuring increased revenue for local governments.Meanwhile, a substantial debt remains on the last accommodation. Taxpayers in 2001 put up $399 million to finance a $587 million renovation of Soldier Field. With interest, the remaining tab is $467 million, according to the state's Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.The Bears' $7 million annual lease runs through 2033. Breaking it would cost the Bears a $10.5 million penalty for each year left on the agreement.

Opponents say the Illinois legislation, with its decades-long property tax freeze, would simply mean increased taxes for homeowners and other businesses — the payment in lieu of taxes would be a bonus.

Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, who supports the plan, last week countered that the proposal would encourage development on land that isn't producing property taxes while ensuring increased revenue for local governments.

Meanwhile, a substantial debt remains on the last accommodation. Taxpayers in 2001 put up $399 million to finance a $587 million renovation of Soldier Field. With interest, the remaining tab is $467 million, according to the state's Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.

The Bears' $7 million annual lease runs through 2033. Breaking it would cost the Bears a $10.5 million penalty for each year left on the agreement.

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Could the Chicago Bears leave Illinois? Indiana makes a play for the historic franchise

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A turf war over a football team is developing between two Midwestern states with a sometimes-dis...

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What we know on the 15th day of the US and Israel’s war with Iran

The United States launched what it said weremilitary strikeson an Iranian island critical to the country's economy and oil exports Friday night, an attack that analysts warned raises the stakes as the US-Israel war entered its third week.

The strikes on Kharg Island, which a US official said avoided hitting vital oil infrastructure, comes as the economic fallout over the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to grow and the Pentagonannounced it is deployinga rapid response marine unit to the Middle East.

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Here's what to know on day 15.

What are the main headlines?

• Kharg Island: US President Donald Trump said the US bombed "every military target" on the island, and threatened to attack its oil infrastructure if Iran continues blocking ships from the Strait of Hormuz. Kharg Island is a five-mile stretch of land in the Persian Gulf that handles roughly 90% of Iran's crude exports. A US military official told CNN the strikes were "large-scale" and targeted naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers and other military infrastructure.

• Raising the stakes: Iran's ⁠Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf had earlier warned that the country would "abandon all restraint" if there is any US aggression against Iranian islands. A retired US army officer told CNN the Kharg Island strikes could ultimately send oil prices "out of control."

• Strait of Hormuz: Trump said Friday he believes US Navy escorts for tankers through the critical waterway will happen "soon." Separately, a senior Iranian official told CNN that Tehran is considering allowing some vessels to pass through the strait, provided the cargo is traded in Chinese yuan.

• Fuel crisis: Global oil prices settled at their highest level on Friday since July 2022 as anxiety about the effective closure of the strait continued across global markets. Countries are planning to dip into oil reserves as they grapple with the crisis.

• Marines heading to region: The Pentagon is deploying a Marine Expeditionary Unit to the Middle East, a rapid response unit that typically comprises around 2,500 Marines and sailors, officials told CNN. It's not yet clear what the MEU will be used for or where exactly it will be deployed.

What's happening in the region?

• Strikes on Iran: Israel says it continued to strike Iran Friday night as the death toll from the war continues to rise. US and Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 1,300 people, the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations said. Israel said its targets ranged from Iranian security checkpoints in Tehran to weapons storage facilities and government offices.

• Damage in Israel: Falling debris from Iranian weapons caused blazes in two suburbs of Tel Aviv, Israeli officials said Friday.

• Grief in Lebanon: Israeli strikes killed nine people from the same family in Lebanon's south, including four children. "Everyone here knows what my girls meant to me," the children's father told CNN. Israel on Friday expanded its operations targeting the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah, including in the capital Beirut.

• Deadly plane crash: The US military said all six service members aboard a refueling aircraft were killed when it crashed Thursday in Iraq. The US said the incident was "not due to hostile fire," but an Iranian proxy group claimed responsibility. An Air Force official later told CNN that the aircraft was not equipped with ejection systems or parachutes to evacuate its occupants mid-air.

• Where is the supreme leader? The US government is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on key Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. US Vice President JD Vance said Khamenei is "hurt" but "we don't know exactly how bad." While Khamenei offered a message through Iranian state media Thursday, he didn't appear on video or audio. CNN previously reported that Khamenei was wounded on the first day of the war.

• Toxic air: CNN analysis of satellite imagery and air quality data shows Israeli strikes at fuel facilities across Tehran last weekend spiked pollution levels, ignited fires and caused oil spills.

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What we know on the 15th day of the US and Israel’s war with Iran

The United States launched what it said weremilitary strikeson an Iranian island critical to the country's economy an...

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What to know about Kharg Island, the tiny coral outcrop at the heart of Iran’s oil industry

During the first two weeks of the latest war in the Middle East, as US and Israeli strikes rained down on military and energy facilities across Iran, one site went conspicuously untouched.

Despite its tiny size,Kharg Islandis an economic lifeline for Iran, handling roughly 90% of the country's crude exports – meaning any assault on it risks major escalation.

But on Friday the UShit military facilitieson the island. Sites related to the oil trade were not hit, according to US officials and Iranian state media. But Trump has threatened to strike those too, if Iran continues blocking ships from traversing the Strait of Hormuz.

Here's what to know about this crucial spigot in Iran's oil exports operation.

Why is the island so important?

Kharg Island is a coral outcrop around a third of the size of Manhattan just 25 kilometers (15 miles) off Iran's coast, in the Persian Gulf.

Almost every day, millions of barrels of crude oil gush from Iran's major fields – including Ahvaz, Marun and Gachsaran – through pipelines to the island, known among Iranians as the "Forbidden Island" due to tight military controls.

Its long jetties, jutting into waters deep enough to accommodate oil supertankers, make the island a critical site for oil distribution. It processes 90% of Iran's crude exports.

The island has long been key to Iran's economy. ACIA document from 1984said the facilities are "the most vital in Iran's oil system, and their continued operation is essential to Iran's economic well-being." Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapidrecently saidthat destroying the terminal would "cripple Iran's economy and topple the regime."

Iran supplies about 4.5% of global oil, pumping 3.3 million barrels of crude and 1.3 million barrels of condensate and other liquids daily, according to Reuters.

And the island has been loading tankers "non-stop since the war broke out," according to TankerTrackers.com, which uses satellite imagery, shore photography and data to track crude oil shipments.

In the weeks leading up to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, exports from Kharg were ramped up to near-record levels, US investment bank JP Morgan said in a note reported by Reuters.

Storage capacity on Kharg is estimated at roughly 30 million barrels and, according to global trade analyst Kpler, about 18 million barrels of crude are currently stored there, Reuters reported.

What happened to Kharg?

Trump announced Friday that the US military conducted what he called "one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East," wiping out military assets on Kharg Island.

Video posted to Truth Social by Trump and geolocated by CNN showed US strikes on Kharg's airport facilities and runway.

A US military official told CNN the strikes were "large-scale" but avoided hitting the island's oil infrastructure. Targets included naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers and other military infrastructure, the official added.

Iran said more than 15 explosions were reported on the island but no oil infrastructure was damaged, according to state-affiliated Fars news agency.

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Trump, however, threatened to attack the island's oil assets if Iran continues blocking ships from the Strait of Hormuz.

What impact would strikes have on the war and global oil prices?

Iran has said any attack on its oil and energy infrastructure will lead to retaliatory strikes on facilities in the region owned by US-friendly oil companies, Iranian state media reported, citing Tehran's military command headquarters.

The US strikes have raised the stakes in the war, a retired army official told CNN.

"It's gone simply from a 'take out the military, take out the regime' but now we're trying to take out the economic lifeblood of this country, potentially," former US Army Brig-Gen. Mark Kimmitt said.

Kimmitt said the US is holding the island "hostage" to ensure that Iran allows ships through the Strait of Hormuz, whose closure has already sent crude oil prices soaring.

If that oil infrastructure is targeted, Kimmitt said, "it is clear that Iran is going to attack the rest of the infrastructure in the Middle East."

"And at that point, the prices of oil will just go out of control," he added.

If Kharg's oil facilities were attacked, it could take Iran months, if not more than a year, to rebuild, Muyu Xu, senior crude oil analyst at Kpler told CNN, adding that as the main buyer of Iranian oil, China would likely see the biggest impact.

"They (Iran) are still facing western sanctions, they can't really secure enough funds and also technology and expertise, it would be difficult for them to rebuild," Xu added.

What could happen next?

Iran could escalate even further by making good on its threat to hit oil infrastructure around the region, analysts said. It has already struck oil storage tanks in US allies Oman and Bahrain, and has targeted oil tankers and cargo vessels in the Persian Gulf.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has alsothreatened to setthe region's oil and gas infrastructure "on fire" if Iranian energy sites are attacked.

The Kharg strikes came as the US announced it would send a rapid response marine unit of about 2,500 Marines and sailors to the Middle East. Former US Army Brig-Gen. Kimmitt broached the possibility of that force occupying Kharg Island.

It's not yet clear what the MEU will be used for or where exactly it will be deployed. But these units have traditionally been used for missions like large-scale evacuations and amphibious operations that require ship-to-shore movements, including raids and assaults.

Experts have also argued that attempting to capture or attack Kharg Island would require a significant number of ground troops — something the Trump administration has so far been reluctant to call in.

CNN's Kit Maher, Natasha Bertrand, Jeremy Diamond, Alayna Treene, Ross Adkin, and Isaac Yee contributed reporting.

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What to know about Kharg Island, the tiny coral outcrop at the heart of Iran’s oil industry

During the first two weeks of the latest war in the Middle East, as US and Israeli strikes rained down on military and en...

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