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SEVEN YEARS SURPLUS TO HIT BUDGET TARGET

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE government must achieve an “unprecedented and very challenging” four percent primary budget surplus for seven straight years to cut the debt-to-GDP ratio to 50 percent by 2030.

The Fiscal Responsibility Council, in its assessment of both the 2021-2022 Budget and the Davis administration’s supplementary changes, warned forecast fiscal trends will not be sufficient to hit the 50 percent ratio as mandated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act by the targeted 2030-2031 fiscal year.

A four percent

surplus, equivalent to $463m a year on current projections, would be required each year between 20232024 and 2030-2031 if the government is to achieve its goal following the debt blow-out caused by COVID19 and Hurricane Dorian.

Such a surplus has “never been achieved before” in Bahamian history, and Gowon Bowe, who represents the Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants on the council, said the government needed to set out “the new actions, revolutionary ideas and new steps” that will achieve this goal beyond simply releasing mere figures.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

WSC TO RESUME CUT OFFS WITHIN WEEKS

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net THE Water and Sewerage Corporation will begin mass disconnections on March 28.

“Customers who have not honoured their financial agreements are advised to visit their local offices to update those agreements as soon as possible,” the corporation said in a notice.

“All customers are further advised to bring their accounts up to date to avoid

the disconnection of their water and sewerage services without further notice.”

Strapped for cash, WSC has been aiming to restart disconnections for some time. Last November, the company said disconnections, which were suspended in 2020 to help people cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, would resume on November 15.

However, Minister of Works and Utilities Alfred SEE PAGE THREE

TEENS AND TIARAS

ELEVEN beauties vying for the crown of Miss Teen Bahamas International took part in a motorcade in Nassau on Saturday. The contestants assembled at Arawak Cay where their vehicles and outfits were judged before the motorcade began. This pageant is scheduled for April. Photo: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff

NIB UNION QUESTIONS SENIOR STAFF REHIRE

TAXI AND JITNEY OWNERS PUSHING FOR FARE HIKES

THE National Insurance Board has hired an “inordinate number of persons” even while telling staff that the difficult fiscal environment will limit what it can

TAXI and jitney drivers have warned they may have to push for fare increases to offset the impact of increasing fuel costs.

Wesley Ferguson, the

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

agree to during industrial agreement negotiations, according to Public Managers Union president Cassandra Lewis.

The PMU, which represents NIB employees, has been turning up the SEE PAGE THREE

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net

TWO DIE IN SEPARATE SHOOTINGS

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

TWO men were shot and killed in separate incidents over the weekend, bringing the country’s murder toll for the year to 18, according to this newspaper’s records.

The latest shooting incident occurred in Millar’s Heights off Carmichael Road around 8pm Saturday.

Police said two men and a woman had to be taken to

NEIKO MACKEY, who was shot dead on Mildred Avenue on Saturday at 2am. hospital after being shot by a lone gunman. However,

one of the men later died of his injuries.

Sources say the murdered victim is Franklyn Glinton, who was charged with the 2020 killing of 17-year-old Lavard McKenzie. Glinton and his co-accused were granted bail months after their arraignments.

According to police, the three were attending a gathering in the community when an armed man

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE PAGE TWO

Bahamas Taxi Cab Union’s president, said the sector may seek up to a 25 percent increase on their price-controlled fares depending on how high gas prices soar.

This would take prices to $13.75 per mile.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

INSIGHT WE NEED ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE NOT SOUNDBITES SEE PAGE EIGHT

PAGE 2, Monday, March 7, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

TWO DIE IN SEPARATE SHOOTINGS from page one

approached the group and started firing shots in their direction.

Police said the gunman was targeting one of the men in the group, but ended up shooting several people.

“Our initial investigations were that a lone gunman came to a gathering, where persons were gathered enjoying themselves, armed with a firearm,” Superintendent Audley Peters said at the scene.

“He discharged that weapon at an initial individual and following that he then continued to discharge the weapon at the individuals who were gathered – two of the males ended up getting shot and was subsequently taken to the hospital.

“We do not know the motive of this incident at this time. However, our officers are collating their information as they canvas the area and speak with the witnesses who were present and in due course, as they sit together and put the information together, we will know what the motive of the incident was.”

An area resident later told reporters the gathering in question was a domino tournament that started at 3pm earlier that day.

He said event-goers were getting ready to head home just before the shooting

POLICE on the scene of a homicide in Miller’s Heights where three men were shot.

Photo: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff

happened.

“We was closing down and packing up everything, but all I hear is ‘pow pow pow’ and everybody say ‘get down’ and when I come out and I run over to my car and when I look over, I see two bullets and a lady was on the ground and then another gentleman was there and he was over there,” the resident said.

“So, it was three of them on the ground and the gentleman here, he get shoot many times because the car came from the north side and they stop and they come out and they shoot him up a few more times and then they speed off and gone. They knew who they come for.”

He also said it was the first shooting incident to have happened in the community in years.

The other two victims are in hospital. Supt Peters said the female victim was “coherent” when she was taken to hospital and suffered “minimal injuries”.

The triple shooting came hours after a man was shot outside his home on Mildred Avenue, west of Golden Isles Road.

According to police reports, the man was in his vehicle and had just arrived at his residence around 2am Saturday morning when two armed men approached and shot him multiple times.

He was taken to

Carmichael Police Station by a neighbour where he was attended to by Emergency Medical Services.

However, he later died.

Although police have not named the victim, relatives say he is 33-year-old, Neiko Mackey.

Many of Mackey’s family members and friends reacted angrily to his death on social media over the weekend.

“Your wife and I gave birth weeks apart twice and today my heart is torn for her and your babies,” Mackey’s sister-in-law said in a Facebook post. “How do you break news like that to your children? What about the babies, Lord?

Neiko, you were a real one.... It was always jokes and laughter. I was your sis and you are my brother.

Today, my husband grieves for his younger brother and witnessing his pain is unfathomable.”

Another relative added: “Neiko, I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t believe it. (He) don’t bother no one.

They took my cousin, a brother and a great father.

RIP cousin, you will be missed.”

Police could not say if the two incidents are connected.

However, anyone with information on these homicides or any other crime is asked to call police at 5029991/2 or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS(8477).

MAN SHOT BY POLICE IS IN HOSPITAL A MAN is in hospital after a police-involved shooting early on Saturday.

According to police, shortly after 1am, an off-duty officer saw the man acting in a disorderly manner towards an employee of a business establishment on Baillou Hill Road.

The officer identified

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himself to the man and warned him about his behaviour, police said.

The man then left the area but returned a short time later and allegedly assaulted another man. The incident was brought to the attention of the officer who again approached the man and informed him of the complaint against him.

As the officer attempted to arrest him, the man attacked him with a knife, police said.

The officer produced his service weapon and shot the man in the upper part of his body. The man was then taken to the hospital

by Emergency Medical Services where he is listed in stable condition.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, March 7, 2022, PAGE 3

What part can Bahamas play in sanctions against Russia?

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net THE closure of American airspace to Russian planes increases the likelihood that The Bahamas’ airspace will be used as an alternative route for Russian aircraft, according to former director of aviation Charles Beneby.

On the other hand, a move by The Bahamas to limit Russian access to its financial system will have no impact because sanctions have already been implemented by the correspondent banking institutions on which this country is reliant, according to Gowon Bowe, chief executive officer of the Fidelity Group of Companies.

The US Embassy has urged The Bahamas to limit Russia’s access to the Bahamian financial system and to restrict this country’s airspace to Russian aircrafts.

That plea came after Russia invaded Ukraine in a move that has drawn condemnation from countries around the world, including The Bahamas.

The United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and others have begun sanctioning Russian oligarchs, freezing and seizing their assets in response to Russia’s invasion, which they insist was unprovoked.

While Russian involvement in the local financial system is already low, according to Mr Bowe, Russian planes may now see The Bahamas’ airspace as an opportunity after the US and Canada closed their territory to them.

“When Russian planes are going into Cuba, which they often do,” Mr Beneby said, “they could very well fly in our airspace. In normal times, we do get a fair amount of European aircraft that fly through what has now been established as Bahamian territorial airspace.

“Theoretically, the route is westbound, depending on what the wind is doing, over Greenland, and then turning down. But if the Americans are shutting their airspace to them, there’s really no place to go. If they want to go to Havana or some place in Cuba, they would have to take a more easterly route which would, I think, definitely put them in our airspace.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if an Aeroflot plane popped up, I’ve seen it all the time in the night-time and that’s the best time for those kinds of flights to operate,” Mr Beneby said.

Mr Bowe, meanwhile, said the government could get details about the involvement of Russian

oligarchs in the country’s financial system if it chooses to.

“The government would have details relative to it because of our new Register of Beneficial Owners law, the ROBO Act, and therefore all of the financial corporate service providers will have, in the secure database, that information,” he said.

“As it relates to them being a major player in our financial service system, they traditionally have not (been)... particularly the Russian oligarchs because a lot of their wealth has been in the various Russian monopolies, the oil industries, etc. A lot of them have tended to have their wealth in the major Western territories, the UK, the US and they have started buying assets like football clubs.

“Most of the Bahamian financial system is wealth management so from that perspective it would be looking more into asset wealth so wherever they domiciled their companies.

“Certainly as it relates to the IBCs and trusts and elements of that nature there isn’t any significant concentration that has been observed, certainly not since the Russian oligarchs became what they are known as in the early 2000s.

Since that time, are there

NIB UNION QUESTIONS SENIOR STAFF REHIRE from page one

pressure on the government to finalise its industrial agreement, which expired two years ago.

Claims that some NIB employees have recently been on a sick-out could not be verified. Myles Laroda, the minister of state responsible for NIB, did not respond to requests for comment up to press time.

In a statement, Ms Lewis said: “The union has endeavoured over the many months (27) of the contract negotiations to negotiate in an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation.

“Unfortunately, it appears that the board does not want the talks to be concluded despite the Union’s willingness to do so. The negotiations are in the ending stage and the union is determined to work towards an amicable conclusion.

“Going into and during negotiations, the Public Managers Union has always kept in focus the financial status of the board and the country’s economic climate.

On the advice of our financial team (financial analyst, economist and actuary), we have been intentional in keeping our financial expectation to a minimum.

“The board on the one hand wants to impose on its staff financial heavy handedness with its left hand and with its right hand and heads turned engaged and re-engaged an inordinate number of persons all in the higher echelon with no regard to the financial status of our institution. We are simply asking the board to be fair in its dealings with the Public Managers Union and the staff at the board.”

The PMU also complained that the constantly changing executive team has caused instability that stifles NIB’s growth and

that NIB’s facilities have been unkept.

“The V-3 system has proven to be a nightmare to our operational standards and a financial burden to the board,” Ms Lewis said. “The board’s governance guidelines are within the National Insurance Act and Regulations. Two such sections of grave importance and concerns are: Section 48. 1 & 2 - review of operation of Act. The last actuarial report was conducted in 2006 some 14 years ago, unacceptable.

“Section 47. 1 & 2 - report and accounts to be submitted to the minister yet the last annual report was 2016.

We must all be held to the same standard and do the right things.”

In a statement issued last month, NIB said it appreciates the employees’ decision to agitate for a new agreement and said the agency looks forward to the date when a new document will be signed.

WSC TO RESUME CUT OFFS WITHIN WEEKS from page one Sears later said WSC did not inform him before sending out that notice and he had not been able to take the matter to Cabinet. WSC Chairman Sylvanus Petty later said there would be no widespread disconnection of water supply to customers behind on their bills.

It is not clear how many people are behind on their bills or how much money the corporation is owed.

Officials have not given

such details or discussed WSC’s financial situation for some time.

Last June, former WSC Executive Chairman Adrian Gibson said the corporation sustained a nearly $14m shortfall in payments since disconnections were ceased and the company suffered a “monumental” 30 percent loss in 2020 compared to 2019.

Mr Gibson encouraged the Minnis administration in 2020 to let the corporation restart disconnections, saying the company was in

“dire financial straits” and that the cash flows at the time could not sustain payments to vendors and staff payrolls.

A source familiar with the matter said additional revenue is now key to WSC’s ability to pay vendors that help deliver potable water to Family Islands.

The Tribune was told that despite the disconnection warning, WSC will work out a flexible payment plan with people based on their individual circumstances.

Russian assets here? I’m pretty certain there will be because there would be a number of them in general.

Are they the oligarchs that have been actually sanctioned? I don’t know,” Mr Bowe said.

Mr Bowe said Bahamian banks, both private and commercial ones, rely on bank systems based out of the US, UK, Canada and others, countries that have already sanctioned Russian oligarchs.

“All of our correspondent banks have already advised that there will be no significant transactions facilitated or enabled and so The Bahamas financial system isn’t one that I will say drives other systems, we rely on other systems so the truth of the matter is once the US, Canada and the UK have imposed sanctions, it limits the ability to move the funds and The Bahamas will simply be compliant with that,” Mr Bowe said.

“What I would say is while the UN Security Council has been slow in terms of the multilateral

sanctions, the US, Canada and the UK, Australia and others, the European Union have blocked and issued the sanctions and because The Bahamas does not work outside of those traditional systems, the reality is those sanctions have already been imposed. The Bahamas’ endorsement would be purely a show and tell as opposed to adding any punitive imposition on the

Russian oligarchs.”

Last week, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said CARICOM is awaiting a decision from the United Nations Security Council before taking a position on whether member states should impose sanctions on Russia.

Mr Davis spoke from Belize, where he was attending CARICOM meetings.

PAGE 4, Monday, March 7, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Marchers call on port authority to live up to Hawksbill deal

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net CONCERNED businesspeople and residents on Grand Bahama participated in a peaceful march to the Grand Bahama Port Authority headquarters on Friday.

They called on the executives and principles to live up to the obligations and vision in the Hawksbill Creek Agreement to grow and develop Freeport.

Businessman Darren Cooper, along with Frederick McAlpine, former MP for Pineridge, and a crowd assembled around 10.45am at the steps of the building in Downtown, Freeport.

A letter outlining ten items of concern was hand-delivered to GBPA President Ian Rolle, who also spoke briefly with Mr Cooper and the marchers.

Mr Cooper claims that the Freeport economy has suffered greatly due to the lack of vision and performance, and neglect by executives at the Port Authority.

Freeport needs a new airport and hospital. Another issue of concern is the number of dilapidated buildings throughout the city. Businesses are struggling, unemployment is high, and the cost of living has increased in Freeport.

But perhaps the biggest concern is the lack of new major foreign investment to the island by the Port Authority in nearly 20 years.

In a flyer circulated on social media on Thursday, the outspoken businessman called on people who are concerned about the state of the island’s economy to march with him and take a stand.

Many people turned out, including Mr McAlpine, independent candidates, and Iram Lewis, the FNM MP for Central Grand Bahama.

“The people of Grand Bahama have had enough,” Mr Cooper said on Friday.

“We hope today will be the start that they (GBPA) will understand that the people of Grand Bahama are tired of being left out, neglected, and tired of being ignored.”

Grand Bahamians are hurting, he said “because those who sat in positions of power for so long neglect

FROM second left, Sarah and Darren Cooper, along with Rev Frederick McAlpine leading a march to and from the Grand Bahama Port Authority Headquarters in Downtown Freeport on Friday. The group delivered a letter to GBPA president Ian Rolle outlining their concerns about the state of Freeport and its economy. Iram Lewis, FNM MP for Central Grand Bahama, seen far left, also marched with the group.

Photo: Denise Maycock/Tribune Staff

ROLLE ‘NOT A GOOD FIT’ AND SHOULD RESIGN AS PRESIDENT

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

FREEPORT businessman Darren Cooper believes Ian Rolle, president of the Grand Bahama Port Authority, is not “a good fit for the City of Freeport” and should resign.

Following the ‘Take a Stand’ March to the GBPA Building on Friday, Mr Cooper expressed his disappointment over Mr Rolle’s comments and response to marchers about their lack of knowledge of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement.

“I think a lot of us in Grand Bahama have a lack of confidence in the president of the GBPA. And I think from this day forward, we will be calling for his resignation.

We have seen his behaviour and to work hard and feverishly for the people.”

“I am very satisfied we were able to deliver a letter of concern for the residents of GB. I am satisfied to have the former MP and present MP and also some independent candidates stand with us. I am also honoured to have business owners who took time out to be with us and voice their concerns. And residents who are feeling the real brunt of being unemployed and not being able to make ends meet.

“I think it sends a very good message to the Port

his actions. And his response says to us today (Friday) that he is not a good fit for the City of Freeport.

And he needs to be replaced and removed, not later, but now,” he told a crowd of marchers assembled at his business on West Atlantic Drive.

“And the next move is to call for his resignation or to have him removed voluntarily or involuntarily because he has not represented the City of Freeport over the years.”

On Friday, Mr Rolle said the GBPA is open to constructive criticism and urged marchers to read the Hawksbill Creek Agreement and its amendments.

“Right now, there are too many emotionally charged persons who lack the knowledge because they have not read it,” the GBPA president told the crowd.

However, a young marcher said

Authority, and it also sends a message to the government of The Bahamas that the people of Grand Bahama will not sit idly by much longer and allow us (Freeport) to continue to deteriorate. We are going to keep their feet to the fire and make sure that we get what we deserve. And if we don’t get it one way, we will get it a next way. And so, they will either bend or break.”

Mr Cooper said the Port Authority has been given 30 days to meet with them and address the concerns in the letter.

he believes GBPA executives perpetuate a double standard when called upon to fulfil their obligations under the HCA. He said: “They want us to believe we don’t understand the HCA, and there are people like Ian Rolle who tell us we need to take our emotions out of it. How can you take the emotions out of suffering people every single day?

“When it is time to enforce the agreement, we hear… how we don’t understand it. But when (the Port) is supposed to hold up their obligations under the agreement, that’s when everything goes quiet.

How long should Grand Bahamians suffer?”

For his part, Mr Cooper also criticised Mr Rolle for a recent promotion exercise at the GBPA when the Grand Bahama economy, businesses, and residents continue to struggle.

“We asked ten questions.

We are not just looking to talk with the executives, we are looking to talk with the stakeholders, the Haywards and the St Georges, to make sure they understand our concerns,” he said.

For his part, Mr McAlpine criticised the GBPA for failing to fulfil its obligation to Freeport under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement (HCA), of providing an airport, hospital, and additional schools.

“All the Port Authority is doing when it comes to Grand Bahama is collecting monthly and keeping it to

“You asked us to be patient and understanding, but you ran a promotion exercise with your top executives in a hurting and downtrodden economy,” he said.

Mr Cooper and his wife, the owners of a car rental business, claim that business licensees in Freeport are struggling to keep their doors open.

Their business has gone from a $40,000 a month intake to $3,000 or $4,000 intake, and they have been operating at a loss for some time, Mr Cooper said.

“Businesses have not only light, rent, utilities, and staff to pay, but also mortgages. And, in some cases, a husband and wife depend on the intake of the business. We have been understanding; we have been operating at a loss for a little while, and this is the cry of most Grand Bahamians,” he complained.

themselves while the rest of us are suffering. They have become a major tax collecting regime which hurts us as a people. And so, it is time now for us as a people to be heard and for us as an island to progress.”

He also raised issues over the GBPA’s approval of a 3.3 percent increase in the electricity rate.

Mr McAlpine also noted that since the death of the late chairman Edward St George there has been no new investment in 18 years.

In addressing the crowd, Mr Rolle said the GBPA is open to any constructive

criticism.

He further stated that people do not understand the HCA. “We want to be the best in terms of delivery to services and our responsibility under the HCA,” the GBPA president said.

“There are some people who do not understand what is in the agreement and I encourage you to please read that agreement and all the amendments.

Right now, there (are) too many emotionally charged persons who lack the knowledge because they have not read it.

GB HOSPITAL VISITOR REGULATIONS RELAXED FROM TODAY

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

GRAND Bahama Health Services has announced that hospital visitation restrictions will be relaxed beginning today as a part of its phased return to normal services.

The new protocols were

outlined in a press statement released on Friday.

According to the statement, regular healthcare services at community clinics and outpatient specialty clinics will continue as officials seek to ensure the safety of patients and staff in a COVID 19 environment.

GBHS said at Rand Memorial hospital, visiting hours at ICU and the stepdown unit will be two hours daily, starting at 1pm to 2pm and 6pm to 7pm.

However, only visitors on the approved list will be allowed in for ten minutes each.

The same visitation rules

also apply for the paediatric ward, where only the mother, father or legal guardian will be allowed to visit one at a time.

At the obstetrics ward, visiting hours are from 6pm to 8pm daily and are limited to the husband or the infant’s father or those on the approved visitors list.

GBHS added that visitors also will be able to see patients in the Diah ward between the hours of 1pm to 2pm. However, only the patient’s next of kin will be allowed in the ward for ten minutes each day.

As it relates to the medical and surgical wards or the Cancer Association Building, GBHS said no visitations are allowed until further notice.

“Visitors will be managed via the training centre

entrance by the security officers who will issue official visitor passes. No food is to be brought into the hospital for patients unless authorised by the attending physician,” the statement added.

“Visitors are not permitted to wait or congregate in the corridors and hallways of the hospital. The public is advised that COVID-19 protocols will be enforced including temperature checks, face masks, social distancing, and hand sanitisation.”

The new protocols were announced after the Ministry of Health reported 17 new COVID-19 cases were recorded on Thursday, bringing the nation’s confirmed tally to 33,169 since the start of the pandemic.

According to the

ministry, 11 people are still in hospital with the disease, one of whom is in the intensive care unit. Meanwhile, there have been 771 virus-related deaths recorded to date.

To contain the spread of COVID-19 residents are reminded of the following: if you have symptoms, contact your health provider; while home remedies may work for a period it is important to get tested and receive the proper care before symptoms become too difficult to manage; if you have been asked by the Surveillance Unit to get tested for COVID-19, please follow the advice and take the gold standard RT-PCR test.

Employees are also encouraged to work from home.

OFFICIALS MONITOR FOURTH WAVE

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

DESPITE a recent decline in COVID-19 cases, local officials say they are still monitoring current health data to determine whether the country’s fourth wave has ended.

This comes after the Ministry of Health reported 19 new cases between Thursday and Friday, bringing the nation’s overall tally to 33,171 since the start of the pandemic. However, only 190 of those cases are still active to date.

Meanwhile, nine people remain in hospital with the virus, one of whom is in the intensive care unit.

When contacted for comment yesterday, local infectious disease expert, Dr Nikkiah Forbes acknowledged the recent drop in numbers as a good sign but said it was still too early to conclude the country’s fourth battle with the disease is over.

She said officials were still keeping a close eye on the nation’s COVID situation and should have more definitive answers in the days ahead.

The improving figures comes as some countries worldwide are moving away from COVID-19 restrictions by removing social distancing requirements and mask mandates.

Even here, tourism stakeholders are pushing for the government to further relax COVID-19 protocols in spite of the Davis administration’s recent announcement about removing the fifth day testing requirements for visitors after their arrival.

Health Minister Dr Michael Darville could not be reached yesterday for comment on the matter.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, March 7, 2022, PAGE 5

‘Livelihoods will be hit if coral disease not tackled’

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net LOCAL environmentalists on Friday doubled down on warnings about the threat of stony coral tissue loss disease, noting Bahamian livelihoods could be affected if the fastspreading infection remains left untreated.

Their warnings came during a press conference held at the Bahamas National Trust on Friday, where representatives from BNT, Waterkeepers Bahamas and Perry Institute for Marine Resources (PIMS) spoke about the disease’s impact.

BNT executive director, Eric Carey said the rapid decline of local coral reefs as a result of disease has left environmentalists deeply concerned.

He also likened it to an “underwater COVID pandemic” for coral reefs, noting its contagiousness and deadliness as similar to that of the novel coronavirus.

This disease is unlike anything we’ve ever seen,” he said at Friday’s press conference. “Some of y’all may have heard about coral bleaching…but this monster is different.

“This monster is a cancer.

It’s the underwater COVID pandemic for coral reefs and so we are very, very concerned as a community,

and we are prepared to do what we can to get a better understanding of what is happening with this killer monster disease.”

Mr Carey added: “If we don’t find a way to reverse the rapid decline of our coral reefs, then it is going to impact the average Bahamian because you’re going to be going to Potter’s Cay to buy tilapia grown in a fish farm somewhere in a tank. That’s the reality.

Fish need healthy ecosystems and if we’re going to continue to enjoy fish then we’re going to do what we can to arrest this monster.”

PIMS researcher Megan Fountain also spoke about SCTLD’s impact on marine life, saying it typically spreads about one mile per month in the islands of New Providence, Eleuthera, Berry Islands and San Salvador, etc.

Meanwhile, noting that all hands are needed to combat the issue, Mr Carey called for the conservation and scientific community and the wider Bahamian public to join hands with officials and take action.

He said: “We are prepared to work with the scientific community, the conservation community and very importantly the government of The Bahamas to try and get a handle on what is happening with this monster.

“The government did some time ago put together

a taskforce that included some of us from this side of the discussion as well as people from the Department of Marine Resources and the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection, but then we couldn’t move forward because things stalled and they stalled because we had issues getting scientific research permits because of new ABS legislation that was putting some stumbling blocks in the way of getting people — the scientists — in the water and getting permits.”

Mr Carey also told reporters on Friday he was pleased to report that the government has agreed to provide agencies with the necessary permits to resume their underwater research in the coming days.

He said the move would allow for environmental groups to mobilise their teams to assess damaged coral reefs and help treat them.

“We don’t want to see devastation to the point where we cannot correct what is happening. We want to be able to go out there and now and do as much as we can to at least remedy the disease so we’re able to at least save what we have,” said Rashema Ingraham of Waterkeepers Bahamas.

“It’s really up to us as environmentalists and activists and as NGOs,

government officials and community leaders and people of The Bahamas to see the need to work to find solutions.”

SCTLD, a bacteria, was first found in corals off Miami in 2014 and detected in The Bahamas several years later.

Currently, there is no cure for the disease, although its spread can be slowed or stopped when Amoxicillin, an antibiotic, is applied strategically to affected reef systems along with other measures.

“We have been raising funds to help address this disease and give treatment to it and we also raise funds to create a coral restoration facility,” PIMS representative, Lashanti Jupp said.

“We submitted a treatment plan that we created and that was done in April 2021. “We’re hoping to provide additional support to the government and other non-governmental agencies that are also working in the marine conservation sphere as we know that this is a group effort. “ While it is not clear how many reefs in The Bahamas have been affected by the disease to date, Rochelle Newbold, director of environmental planning and protection, told reporters in December that 90 percent of coral reefs off Grand Bahama alone have already been devastated by SCTLD.

BNT executive director Eric Carey.

Photo: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune Staff

DIOCESE HOLDS MISSION BISHOP LAISH BOYD

THE Diocese of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands has started its Anglican Lenten Mission.

The event began on Sunday and will continue unti Wednesday under the theme “The Open Door to The Eternal Banquet – Baptism and Holy Communion in our Daily Lives”.

The Missioner is the Rt Rev Laish Boyd, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese, and the venue is the St John’s

College Auditorium at 6.45pm each night.

Yesterday, the mission began with the topic of “God opens the door”, along with singing and preaching.

Tonight, the event continues with the topic “Living for Jesus”, before tomorrow the topic is “Growing in the Spirit”. The final night, Wednesday, has the topic “The Eternal Banquet”.

A statement from the diocese said: “The mission

will focus on God’s call to us through Baptism to be one with Him, and God’s desire to journey with us every day of our lives. In these challenging times our only sure anchor is God. We all need to hear His call in the circumstances of daily life and to walk with Him through all the changing scenes of life.

“One and all are welcome to come out and share in worship services. Everyone

can be comfortable and at ease because St John’s College Auditorium is a large and well-ventilated space, and COVID-19 protocols will be strictly enforced.”

The services will be streamed live on Facebook and YouTube. For more information, visit the diocesan website at bahtcianglican.org.

The Anglican Diocese calls on all Anglicans and on the wider community to pray for this event.

LAWYER SAYS CHAIN OF CUSTODY NOT FOLLOWED IN DRUGS CASE

By PAVEL BAILEY

A LAWYER argued for a no case submission in his client’s ongoing drug trial in the Magistrate’s Court on Friday. Antonio Baillou, 41, of Seven Hills Estates, appeared before Senior Magistrate Samuel McKinney.

Baillou’s attorney, Moses Bain, said when customs officer Hordari Collie and his K-9 came across the drugs in the airport on March 11, 2020, he did not follow the proper chain of custody. He alleged that when Mr Collie found the packages containing drugs with Baillou’s name on it – later identified as 23 lbs of cocaine – there was no clear record of him turning the drugs over to another

customs officer.

Mr Bain further scrutinised the chain of custody, questioning why the transfer of the drugs to the Drug Enforcement Unit was not properly documented. He also called into question why there was no evidence submitted as to where the drugs came from. Mr Bain noted it was suspicious that there was no invoice for the package found, despite protocol for there being a manifest for any package entering the country.

It was this lack of an invoice as well as the fact that there was no name, contact information or address for the sender on the package that led Mr Bain to suggest that the drugs came from the customs officer himself.

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Mr Bain also specifically questioned the possession charge on the technicality that his client never physically had the drugs as Baillou was arrested 11 days after they were seized by authorities.

Magistrate McKinney dismissed this argument and let the possession charge stand along with the

two conspiracy charges and one importation of dangerous drugs with intent to supply charge.

The prosecutor, Inspector Timothy Bain, indicated that the accused elected not to take part in the record of interview after his arrest, only for Baillou’s lawyer to inject and state that his client had participated.

Mr Bain said it was during this time that Baillou said “no comment” when questioned about the ownership of the drugs.

However, the prosecutor raised the point that during the defence’s previous court appearances, they never properly refuted the suspect’s name being on the consignment form for

the package containing the drugs.

Insp Bain then submitted that there is sufficient evidence in this case and that the accused should be called to stand trial for the charges against him.

Magistrate McKinney adjourned Baillou’s case to May 2 for a final court ruling.

PAGE 6, Monday, March 7, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

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What to know about war in Ukraine RUSSIA’S invasion of Ukraine entered its 12th day following what Ukrainian authorities described as increased shelling of encircled cities and another failed attempt to evacuate civilians from the besieged southern port of Mariupol.

Russian and Ukrainian forces had agreed to an 11-hour cease-fire yesterday, but Ukrainian officials said Russian attacks quickly closed the safe-passage corridor.

A third round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian leaders was planned for Monday.

More than 1.5 million Ukrainians had been forced from the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged his people to keep resisting, and Ukraine’s foreign minister said more than 20,000 people from 52 countries had volunteered to fight in Ukraine’s newly created international legion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin likened the West’s sanctions on Russia to “declaring war.”

Here’s a look at key things to know about the conflict: VIOLENCE STOPS PLANNED CIVILIAN EVACUATIONS AGAIN Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko blamed Russian artillery fire for halting a second attempt in as many days to evacuate civilians from Mariupol, where food, water and medicine are scarce.

A day earlier, Ukrainian officials similarly said Russian artillery fire and airstrikes had prevented residents from leaving. Putin accused Ukraine of sabotaging the effort.

Russia has sought to cut off Ukraine’s access to the Sea of Azov in the south.

Capturing Mariupol could allow Russia to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.

WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING ON THE GROUND? Russian forces launched hundreds of missiles and artillery attacks across the country, including powerful bombs dropped on residential areas of Chernihiv, a city north of the capital of Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said. But a miles-long Russian armored column threatening the capital remained stalled outside Kyiv.

Sunday evening, heavy shelling also came to Mykolaiv in the south and Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city. Efforts to evacuate residents from the Kyiv suburbs of Bucha, Hostomel and Irpin on Sunday were mostly unsuccessful.

A senior American defence official said Sunday the US believes that about 95 percent of the Russian forces that had been arrayed around Ukraine are now inside the country. Ukrainian air and missile defenses remain effective and in use, and the Ukrainian military continues to fly aircraft and to employ air defense assets, the official said.

Ukrainian forces were also defending Odesa, Ukraine’s largest port city, from Russian ships, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovich said.

The Russian Defence Ministry yesterday announced plans to strike Ukraine’s military-industrial complex, and it alleged that Ukrainian forces were plotting to blow up an experimental nuclear reactor in Kharkiv and to blame it on

Russia. The ministry offered no evidence to back its claims, which could not be independently verified.

ZELENSKYY PUSHES CALL FOR NO-FLY ZONE Zelenskyy pushed his call for foreign countries to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine. Establishing a no-fly zone would risk escalating the conflict by involving foreign militaries directly.

Although the United States and many Western countries have backed Ukraine with weapons shipments, they have sent no troops.

Zelenskyy said in a video address on Sunday that “the world is strong enough to close our skies” and over the weekend he urged US officials help his country obtain warplanes to fight the invasion and retain control of its airspace.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said yesterday that some Ukrainian combat planes had redeployed to Romania and other Ukraine neighbors he didn’t identify. He warned an attack from planes operating out of those nations could be deemed an engagement by them in the conflict.

DIRECTLY WITNESSED BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Onlookers in Chernihiv cheered as a Russian military plane fell from the sky and crashed, according to video released by the Ukrainian government. In Kherson, hundreds of protesters waved blue and yellow Ukrainian flags and shouted, “Go home.”

In Mariupol, journalists saw doctors make futile attempts to save wounded children. Pharmacies ran bare and hundreds of thousands of people faced food and water shortages in freezing weather.

In Irpin, near Kyiv, a sea of people on foot and even in wheelbarrows trudged over the remains of a destroyed bridge to cross a river and leave the city.

Assisted by Ukrainian soldiers, they lugged pets, infants, purses and flimsy bags stuffed with minimal possessions.

Some of the weak and elderly were carried along the path in blankets and carts.

Kyiv’s central train station remained crowded with people desperate to leave, and frequent shelling could be heard from the center of the capital city.

DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS Intense diplomatic efforts continued, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Moldova pledging America’s support to the small Western-leaning former Soviet republic. The country is coping with an influx of refugees from Ukraine and keeping an eye on Russia’s intensifying war with its neighbor.

Blinken says the United States and its allies are having a “very active discussion” about banning the import of Russian oil and natural gas.

In a call with Putin that lasted nearly two hours yesterday, French President Emmanuel Macron repeated calls for Russia to halt military operations, protect civilians and allow humanitarian aid.

A French official reported Putin said he does not intend to attack nuclear plants.

The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said yesterday that Ukrainian staff at the country’s largest nuclear plant are now required to seek approval for any operation, even maintenance, from the Russians.

Sandals parking EDITOR, The Tribune.

TOTALLY support writer Vincent Wallace Whitfield on parking near Sandals, West Bay. As he described the public Government parking lot in front of Post Office - Cable Beach is jammed packed with Sandals employees cars all day every day.

Looked around close by and saw cars parked on any green patch.. in the lot behind Island Luck building — the strip Mall on West Bay opposite Sandals.

In City Market parking

lot...Sandals employees can’t hide uniform!

A friend who lives across West Bay told me Sandals is taking over two vacant lots and putting employee parking there — they hear Sandals has not applied and this is in the slap middle of a residential area — the residents are furious. Where’s the Killarney MP? One thing around here Planning seems to think residential can be switched - You save and buy hoping the future at the location described as a quiet tranquil residential sub-division then one day a business

comes along and wants to put a parking lot right behind you or to the side of you without even approaching you.

Writing for my friend... his dream home and area under attack like Ukraine from Sandals who seeming have no concern for the privacy and ownership of residential property..... having a parking lot next to your property does not increase the value....noise all day!

JEROME SMITH Nassau, March 1, 2022.

Left with no answer by ministry EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE letter below was emailed to the Ministry of Work on November 8th, 2021.

To date, I am yet to hear from the Ministry of Works. The conditions listed in this letter still persist to this day. Only the smell of human waste has been added. I lived under these circumstance through the pandemic and it will soon be possible to make my exit. My intent on going public with this letter is to prevent other Bahamians from walking into the same trap that I did. I also want the authorities to make sure the units are properly and appropriately separated so persons are not able to cross over from one unit to the next.

A tenant in the complex told me that the (Bahamian) tenant who was there (in my apartment) before me, virtually went out of his mind as a result of the constant harassment.

“John Doe” has been used instead of the original name.

Can you please address this letter to The Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Immigration.

JOHN DOE (Tenant) The following is the letter written to the Assistant Building Control Inspector to the Ministry of Works on October 27, 2021.

Asst Bldg.

Control Inspector, The Ministry of Works, Nassau, Bahamas October 27, 2021 Dear Ms Curry: I have decided to put into writing the matter we discussed about a week ago.

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net At the time of my complaint being lodged, you made mention that someone would be contacting me, and eventually sent to investigate the matter – and I do count myself both grateful and fortunate that you have committed to looking into this matter.

I live in an apartment complex in Rock Crusher and the landlord is (name omitted).

It has been quite a while now since I first began complaining to the landlord about people being in the ceiling – especially at nights (though it happens in the day as well). It started with them just moving across, laying over my bed making irritating sounds and they would also move across to the bathroom area while I am in the shower.

Sometimes, I can also hear pieces of plywood being moved around in the ceiling as well. This perpetual nuisance has been ongoing for months now, but what has made matters worse is that it appears these immigrants are now spraying an offensive liquid substance down into my bed at times, mostly at nights. I made it clear to (the landlord) in writing that the units have to be parted off. I told him that it is illegal to have tenants going up into manholes and invading other people’s space and privacy to become, as I said earlier, a perpetual nuisance.

He says it is all in my head and that I am imagining the whole thing. I told him I heard the tenant who lived

there before me also had similar problems, but he did not comment on the matter.

It seems as though (the landlord) has a “soft spot” for the immigrants – and is not interested in dealing justly. He took me into a unit where I complained of hearing manholes opening and closing regularly. He only did so because he felt assured that there was no manhole there! His electrician who had gone before us said: “Oh my God, we must close this thing up now!” But in the end, he still decided against it, before telling me: If I wish to move, I can do so!

As Bahamians, we all have rights. These rights were put in place to ensure that people are protected and also to ensure the smooth running of a decent and orderly society. It is with this in mind, that I appeal to the Ministry of Works to ensure that my landlord is not breaking the law and getting away with it. It is my wish that the inspector from The Ministry of Works would walk into each apartment in my unit to see for himself where the manholes are and to examine them to see where they all lead, and make recommendations that the necessary adjustments are made in a reasonable period of time.

Rest assured the Department of Immigration will be informed of this matter as well. Any assistance you can render in this regard would be greatly appreciated.

MR JOHN DOE Tenant Nassau, March 1, 2022.

It’s not rain EDITOR, The Tribune.

IT IS not rain that is falling on the fertile fields of Ukraine; nor is it lightning flashing along its distant borders.

It is not thunder rumbling in its sovereign space; nor is it thick, black smoke billowing from manufacturing plants into the winter sky, 2022 But rather, it is

man’s barbarity to man displayed in all its deadly coloursa history that keeps on writing.

JEROME CARTWRIGHT Nassau, March 3, 2022.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, March 7, 2022, PAGE 7

Dame Marguerite at Exuma summit FORMER Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling was the keynote speaker at the first Exuma Women’s Wellness and Empowerment Summit, where she urged those attending to become more involved in the development of the country.

The event was held on Tuesday, March 1, at Blu on the Water Restaurant and Bar. The brainchild of Cecillia Cooper, wife of Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper, Samantha Maycock-Wong Sang and Marsha Musgrove, the summit attracted presenters with a common message of support and empowerment.

Mrs Cooper said the event’s mission was “a deliberate meeting of the minds” to cause something to happen for women and girls in Exuma.

“So let’s help make waves to build up one another and our country,” she said.

In her address Dame Marguerite shared her connection to Exuma, by way of her father who was born at Jolly Hall.

She also shared her journey from humble beginnings.

“Not so long ago, I married a young London trained barrister named Lynden Pindling on the 5th day of May 1956. Then, on the 8th day of June 1956, he was elected to

DAME Marguerite Pindling with with Dr Novia Carter-Lookie. the honourable House of Assembly and was a junior member for the southern district of New Providence.

“So, you see, my married and political life happened all at the same time. That’s when I made my entrance on the political stage as a young 24-year-old bride, not knowing what was ahead of me, but I learnt fast; I had no choice.

“My point is, it doesn’t matter where you start; it’s how you finish,” she said.

Having no formal training, she said she has “a master’s degree in common sense” and quoted her husband as saying, “book sense without common sense is nonsense.”

Soon to be 90 in June, Dame Marguerite said she’s had time to reflect on her

attendees at the Exuma Women’s Wellness and Empowerment Summit, above, and pictured below

life’s journey.

“I am proud of the work my husband and I accomplished. I have surpassed any and all expectations that I may have had on where my life would have taken me. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think it was possible. That

is why I said earlier: it’s not how you start, it’s the journey and how you finish.

To all young Bahamian women, what has happened to me can happen to you,” she said.

According to Dame Marguerite, there is a wisdom given to women, “perhaps

because we are life bearers; for we are able to know and discern problems and find solutions without them being taught to us.”

She said that The Bahamas needs women to assume more active roles in the country’s political, economic, and social development, and on the international stage.

“Ladies, you must not underestimate your role and value in any national struggle. It was all right then for us women to be afraid, very afraid, but inaction was never an option,” she said.

She further urged women to be comfortable being an inspiration and a troublemaker – but “good trouble” as the late US civil rights fighter John Lewis would say.

Dame Marguerite pointed out that at every stage of a country’s development, the involvement of its people is essential, especially that of the women.

“Women of my generation were tough, strong and hard workers. Our passion fueled our determination to achieve a better way of life.

Some of you are successful products of that passion, that determination,” she said.

However, times have changed, she noted, and the passion that fueled some of the country’s greatest women warriors have gone.

Sadly, she added, young women today are fighting a different battle of abuse and depression and feeling unloved and uncared for.

“With a renewed passion and love in our hearts, I ask you to support one another, band together as one group. Together, you can do many things to bring about change,” said Dame Marguerite.

Other presenters were: Marsha Musgrove, owner of Exuma Hair Beauty Supplies; Dr Novia Carter-Lookie, clinic director of the Children Advocacy Clinic at The Bahamas Crisis Centre; and Samantha Wong-Sang, co-founder and CEO of Blu on the Water Restaurant and Bar.

NEW DAD JAILED FOR 18 MONTHS OVER FIREARM CHARGE

By PAVEL BAILEY

A NEW father was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Friday over weapons charges.

Kevin Archer, 24, of Stark Avenue, stood before Senior Magistrate Samuel McKinney on charges of possession of a dangerous firearm and ammunition.

The court was told that on March 28, 2021, Archer

was involved in a heated exchange with another driver after an accident.

When officers arrived to deescalate the situation, they singled out Archer specifically who then left the scene only to return and threaten the officers with a firearm that he pulled from his jacket.

When officers told him to drop the weapon, he fled the scene, tossing the firearm as officers gave

chase, ending in Archer’s capture. After his arrest, officers recovered the weapon, a silver and black coloured 9mm Luger pistol with the S/N 046978 and three unfired rounds of ammunition.

During his interview he gave a “no comment” response when asked who owned the gun. He claimed that he only ran from the police because he had weed on him.

In court, Archer was found guilty of both counts against him.

Archer’s attorney, Mark Rolle, while acknowledging the serious nature of the charges against his client – of having a firearm in a public place – asked for the court’s leniency. Mr Rolle said that Archer has a six-month-old baby girl to take care of and that he is gainfully employed with no prior charges.

He is employed as a pool technician.

Mr Rolle referred to established precedent on sentencing of similar charges citing Dustin Taylor’s four years in prison for weapons convictions that was later reduced to three. He ended his plea by submitting that given the nature of the crime and his client’s circumstances that Archer be given a minimal sentence as well.

Considering these facts, the magistrate sentenced Archer to 18 months in prison for the firearm charge and an additional fine of $6,500 or six more months in prison. He was also sentenced to nine months for the ammunition charges to be served concurrently to the firearm charges.

Magistrate McKinney informed Archer of his right to appeal within seven days of his sentencing.

MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2022

THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS

HURRICANE Dorian over The Bahamas in 2019.

We need our own plan of action not just soundbites

By MALCOLM STRACHAN THERE hardly seems a moment without a crisis these days. If it isn’t the pandemic, it’s the war in Europe. If it’s not those two, it’s the economic crisis both of them are bringing.

The worse the economy gets, the more deeply entrenched are the problems with crime. This week, however, another problem reappeared in the spotlight: climate change.

This time, it’s after another report pointed out the likely impact on countries such as The Bahamas

from the effects of climate change – although it’s a message we’ve heard often enough we shouldn’t be surprised by it.

The report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations warned: “The impacts of climate change on vulnerable lowlying and coastal areas present serious threats to the ability of land to support human life and livelihoods.”

It warned of an increase in migration and “unavoidable multiple climate hazards”. The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, called it “an

atlas of human suffering and damning indictment of failed climate leadership”.

We’ve seen some of that migration on a smaller scale here at home, with people displaced from Ragged Island during the prolonged reconstruction after Hurricane Irma, and people having moved out from Abaco after Hurricane Dorian while properties are repaired.

This all follows on the heels of another report by the NewClimate Institute that noted many of the pledges made by companies around the world to reduce their carbon emissions or offset them through

planting forests are simply “When one storm can oblitnot being fulfilled. Despite erate an island-state or a many companies pledging number of states in one to reach net-zero emissions, hurricane season: how will the study found a collective we survive, how can we commitment by 25 top com- develop, how will we conpanies to reduce emissions tinue to exist?” by just 40 percent, not 100 Ten years before that, percet to reach that net zero. then-Prime Minister For his part, Prime Min- Hubert Ingraham warned ister Philip “Brave” Davis climate change was “a seritried to strike a determined ous threat to our economic note – but it sounded some- viability, our social develwhat hollow. opment and our territorial He said: “The experi- integrity”. ence of the So, newsCOVID-19 flash, there’s ‘The first step. We pandemic newsflash. have had warnings no brought into We’ve known sharp and from successive about this humbling problem for Prime Ministers focus that our for more than a a long time self-interest now. may well be decade and we’re The man more fully still at the first in the hotseat aligned with step. Our leaders now, Mr those who Davis, said live like us: can’t be serious.’ last week in small island Belize: “As a developing states; small regional community, what economies with narrow can we do, beyond hoping economic bases; and small that our friends will spring populations whose voices into action, beyond waitalready resound loudly on ing for the inevitable to hit the world stage, but not us? What leadership can we loudly enough to carry the provide? Colleagues, as we argument. are not the major carbon “Colleagues, we are emitters or the wealthy carexperiencing the same hur- bon-emitting beneficiaries, ricanes, the same rising sea there will always be limitalevels, the same threats to tions around what we can our tourism industries.” do. However, The Bahamas With all due respect, this believes that it is possible should not be some stun- to be an active part of the ning realisation. We’ve solution. The first step is to known for a long time now take the first step.” what the risks of climate The first step. We have change might bring for The had warnings from sucBahamas. cessive Prime Ministers After all, back in Novem- for more than a decade ber, Mr Davis himself called and we’re still at the first climate change “the great- step. Our leaders can’t be est existential threat that serious.

The Bahamas has ever Mr Davis went on to say faced”. he intended to push an The Prime Minister Mr agenda that had a strong Davis served as deputy to, focus on solutions. Not that Perry Christie, who warned he is pushing one now, just in 2015 that climate change that he intends to. And that was an “existential threat agenda seems to revolve to the survival of a number around international of small island developing cooperation and regional threats”. solutions, rather than anyThen Prime Minister thing directly at home here Dr Hubert Minnis said in in The Bahamas.

2019 at the United Nations: He didn’t say anything

about trying to reduce our own emissions. He didn’t say anything about trying to move to renewable energy – which at a time of soaring oil prices might have a double benefit. He didn’t say anything about rezoning areas as potential flood plains so that any development there is aware of the likely flood risk and can mitigate accordingly or be banned entirely if the project exacerbates potential flooding. He didn’t say anything about infrastructure developments such as flood barriers or raising the level of roads and bridges to account for sea level rise.

Last week, The Tribune reported on concerns over some deforestation associated with a development that may or may not have the permission to proceed – not the only project that seems to have started construction lately without permission. How are we clamping down on such cases, and more than that, what are we doing to stimulate reforestation?

All of these are things that can be done, but Mr Davis is, it seems, still at the first step, four months on from calling climate change the greatest existential threat we have faced.

We should be at steps 30 or 40 by now, not the first step. What is our actual plan, other than shaking hands at international junkets and asking other countries to do the work without actually having a plan to show for ourselves?

Until we have actual, practical steps that we can demonstrate, all the rest is for show. If The Bahamas really does face the biggest risk to its existence, you’d never know it by our actions. We’re just carrying on as normal, like The Titanic serenely sailing towards an iceberg.

If we don’t back up our words with actions, then we might well end up with a similar fate.

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

If minutes become days

IN the early nineteenth century, long before the Prohibition Act was passed, there was a lesser well-known movement in the United States to ban the manufacture, sale and transportation of intoxicating liquors, the consumption of which was conveniently blamed for all of society’s ills. The 18th amendment to the US constitution was eventually passed and the era of rum-running (colloquially referred to as bootlegging) began, lasting 13 years until it was repealed in 1933. But three centuries before that, in the 1600s and during the golden era of piracy, rum production in The Bahamas (albeit a more impoverished selection than the current varieties now readily available) was already in full swing and Prohibition in the US merely served to revive a tradition The Bahamas had long ago mastered.

While the quality has improved infinitely over the years, the effects in part remain the same. When alcohol is consumed, it quickly enters the bloodstream through the stomach and the small intestine and then travels throughout the body with the brain, lungs, kidney and liver being the primary organs affected.

With each and every heartbeat, it is pumped through every cell and within five to ten minutes the effects are notable. The neurotransmitter dopamine is released by the brain, along with other neurochemicals, boosting mood and relaxing the body.

This effect, coupled with a wide spectrum of psychological, social, environmental, behavioural and medical problems, are directly attributable to alcohol dependence. Even still and despite all we’ve learned about the devastating effects of consuming too much alcohol, overconsumption remains ever more prevalent throughout our society. Recently, one of my patients relayed her experience growing up with an alcoholic family member and she shares her story with you today.

She grew up the youngest of four children in a tiny wooden home in Bain town, measuring no more than 650 square feet. She shared this home with her siblings, her parents and her paternal uncle. In the front section, the bathroom was divided from the kitchen by a sheet or, on special occasions, curtains tied to nails on the wall. Since they didn’t have indoor plumbing, the bathroom housed multiple, one-gallon, water bottles filled by her brothers daily from a nearby pump.

They had an outside toilet that was frequently broken into by homeless men in the community and at one point it was burned in anger and had to be rebuilt after these vagrants couldn’t gain access. The back portion

INSIGHT

MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2022 PAGE 9

By DR KENNETH D KEMP

of the home contained one bedroom divided in two halves by a sheet hanging from the ceiling with a twin bed on one side where her parents slept and a bunk bed on the other side where all four kids slept. The beds were so close together that when their parents weren’t home, they’d move the sheet and jump from one bed to the next.

Her uncle was an alcoholic and he slept in the front section of the house on the kitchen floor. From childhood she remembered him consuming alcohol from morning until night.

He was well known in their community.

Neighbours would often come to the house to alert the family whenever he was passed out on the side of the road or conscious but simply incapable of walking because he was so heavily inebriated. Initially, she and her brothers pitied him but that emotion transformed into embarrassment when they moved to another home on East Street.

This house was only slightly larger than the last and the windows were still made of wood but the rest of the house was made of concrete blocks and it had real rooms with indoor plumbing so they felt like millionaires. The first night she and her siblings broke the faucet because they simply didn’t know how to use it but they learned to adapt to their new environment quickly. Their uncle, however, stood out more egregiously than in their previous neighbourhood and his drinking habits intensified. He was never sober at any given time of the day, he walked with a stagger and always had a strong putrid stench. He no longer took a bath and their new neighbours began to laugh and mistreat him. In an effort to fit in, she and her siblings began to do the same, often not letting him into the house if their parents weren’t at home.

Their view of him became even more distorted when he started to urinate and defecate on himself. They began to hide anything he used, like plates, cups, spoons and forks by throwing them on the neighbour’s roof or discarding them entirely. One day he was so weak, malodorous and dirty that her mother forced him to take a bath. Her plan was to escort him to the hospital once he was finished.

He told her he’d be ready in a few minutes but those minutes turned into more than an hour. She realized he wasn’t responding to her door knocks or verbal pleas.

As calm as she pretended to be, my patient and each of her siblings could hear the fear and desperation in their mother’s voice as she pounded the door and called his name over and over. My patient’s brother ran outside and broke the wooden bathroom window that was the only reminder of the home where they previously lived. He then climbed through the small window bruising his shoulder, knee and elbow in the process and unlocked the bathroom door for his father.

The next few minutes were heart-wrenching.

She watched as her father pulled the body of his pale and near-lifeless brother onto a chair in the front room, utterly desperate but understandably ill equipped to save him. He promised their mother on her deathbed that he would always protect him but with foam coming out of his mouth, his baby brother took his last breath. The loud, piteous and tormented scream made by her parents in that instant is one she’ll remember for the rest of her life.

The friends they tried so hard to fit in with later retorted that their uncle died because his own family teased him and that he’d come back to haunt them forever. So, for many years following that, all the kids slept huddled together in their parent’s bedroom like a can of sardines, too afraid to be alone in their bedroom. To this day she and her siblings are inseparable, she only has a very small group of friends and she never drinks alcohol.

That incident also inspired her to become a health professional.

The Bahamas became a key distributor of alcohol during the prohibition period and bootlegging was a lucrative time for the country and many of its citizens. Even doctors made a fortune by writing whiskey prescriptions. But when the prohibition of alcohol was repealed as the 21st amendment to the US constitution was enacted, the economy once again turned to agriculture as its core industry.

Nonetheless, alcohol, its production, sale and/or consumption remains a pivotal component in the lives of many Bahamians.

Looking back with eyes that have become wiser with time, my patient wishes she could have been more compassionate. If only she had encouraged her parents to get her uncle the professional help he so desperately needed, she thinks things might have

turned out differently. To this day she doesn’t know what trauma led him on the road of alcohol dependence but there was a palpable sadness about him that made his story all the more tragic. If he could have stayed sober for a few minutes and transform that into a few hours, then weeks,

then at least 28 days, which is the typical time for inpatient rehab, with help he may have been able to walk away from his addiction.

For my patient, and others facing a similar often protracted struggle, my counsel is to not blame yourself for another’s addiction.

Instead, the best help they

can offer is to routinely encourage their loved ones to fight to stay sober, for no matter how many minutes, days, months or even years that may be.

• Nicknamed ‘The Prince of Podiatry’, Dr Kenneth D. Kemp is the founder and medical director of Bahamas Foot and Ankle located in Caves Village, Western New Providence. He served as the deputy chairman for the Health Council for five years and he currently sits on the board of directors for the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation in his role as co-vice-chairman.

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PAGE 10 MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2022

INSIGHT

A few steps forward for science

By CANDACE FIELDS

A FEW months ago, I wrote to say that a major transformation was needed for science in The Bahamas. This article serves as an update to the public on the situation regarding issuing scientific permits here at home.

While the necessary change has yet to come to fruition, all hope is not lost and I am extremely glad to learn the Cabinet is actively working to reform the current Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) law. Amendments are being made such that the legislation is meaningful and narrowly focused on commercial science while simultaneously promoting, not delaying, non-commercial research endeavours.

While this seems like a major win, it is important to note these changes are mandated in the Nagoya Protocol (of which The Bahamas is a signee) where all parties have agreed to the following: create conditions to promote and encourage research which contributes to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, particularly in developing countries, including through simplified measures on access for noncommercial research purposes. Especially in cases of emergencies that threaten or damage human, animal or plant health, as determined nationally or internationally.

Knowing we, as a country, have agreed to the aforementioned, it is hard to believe we are still in the situation we are in today. It is hard to believe Bahamian research institutions cannot do work in their own backyards. It is hard to believe Bahamian graduate students, like myself, cannot do work at home and have to constantly stress about how their degree will play out should change not come soon. It is hard to believe that now with the increasing number of Bahamian scientists our own country is choosing to decrease research capacity. It is hard to believe that science in The Bahamas, a top tier living laboratory, is still effectively cancelled.

I am thus making a plea to the Department of Environmental Protection and Planning (DEPP) to work with scientists like myself, who are only seeking to do research for research’s sake, and not to seek financial gain. DEPP has now promised the backlog of permits will be addressed and as such, permits will start being issued as soon as tomorrow. I applaud this effort. As for research regarding Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), assessing critically endangered species like Nassau grouper, working in key habitats like mangrove ecosystems and working to safeguard our shark sanctuary, time is of the essence.

I look forward to getting to work and implore this department to continue to work with the scientific community to bring back science and return The Bahamas to the forefront of marine research globally.

At this point we must channel the words of our motto and work to move forward, upward and onward TOGETHER.

CANDACE Fields pictured swimming with a shark and also inset.

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

INSIGHT

No busting of sanctions against Russia THE Caribbean cannot escape the economic and financial consequences of the Russian Federation’s invasion of the sovereign, independent nation of Ukraine.

The effects of these consequences are already being felt in higher oil prices (at the time of writing, on March 3, the global oil benchmark, rose to $113.94 a barrel, the highest since June 2014), and they will intensify if the Russian action continues, forcing the world community to show its displeasure through the many sanctions that have been imposed on Russia, not only by countries but also on bodies responsible for international sport.

Rightly, Caribbean countries have participated fully in expressing their disapproval of Russia’s infringement of the United Nations Charter, the Charter of the Organization of American States and of international law by its unlawful, unjustified, and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

On February 24, all CARICOM states jointly issued a statement, making it clear that “the hostilities against Ukraine go counter to the principles of respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-interference in the internal affairs of another sovereign state and the prohibition on the threat or use of force, and the peaceful resolution of disputes, which are the bedrock of this Community”.

On February 25, all but four CARICOM countries, joined in co-sponsoring an OAS Declaration by more than two-thirds of its member states, led by Antigua and Barbuda and Guatemala, that “strongly condemn(ed) the unlawful, unjustified, and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation and call(ed) for the immediate withdrawal of the military presence and the cessation of any further military actions in that country”.

On that same day, the UN Security Council failed to issue its own condemnatory resolution because Russia, exercised its veto, as one of five permanent members, to stop the resolution. The continued existence of a veto by any one of only 5 countries is a serious anomaly in today’s world. Each of these countries can halt binding UN action against their own violations, crippling the ability to censure them, as is evident from the Russian veto.

After hesitation by some CARICOM countries to participate in the UN General Assembly meeting on Ukraine two days before the invasion, all of them were among the 141 nations at the Special Emergency Session, on March 2, that deplored “in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine” and demanded “that Russia “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders”.

It is, of course, right that CARICOM countries should adopt a strong position on any country that violates international law by invading other nations, and

World View

By SIR RONALD SANDERS

by seeking to alter the settled borders of countries by force. Within CARICOM, Venezuela threatens Guyana’s territorial integrity and Guatemala threatens Belize’s. In the case of Guatemala and Belize, they have both agreed to seeking a peaceful settlement through the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and Guatemala has led from the front in condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

However, Venezuela has refused to accept the jurisdiction of the ICJ, and its President is reported to have stated his support for Russia’s unlawful actions against Ukraine.

At the meeting of the OAS, where the overwhelming number of countries made a declaration condemning the Russian invasion, I stated on behalf of Antigua and Barbuda the following: “Small and military powerless states depend upon adherence and respect to the agreed and settled principles that are set out in the UN Charter and in international law. When these principles are flouted and international law is violated, small states are obliged to speak out loudly in our own interest as much as in the interest of nations that are the actual victims of aggression”.

And, that is the crux of the matter. When international law is breached, the wall that safeguards the interest of small states crumbles, exposing them to the aggression of others; and that aggression can come in many forms, not only military.

In any event, the action of Russia in the Ukraine is now so vicious, so inhumane and so alarming that no right-minded society anywhere in the world can do anything but forcefully condemn it.

Innocent people, including children and babies, are being killed in their homes as Russia bombards them with long-range missiles in the Russian government’s attempt to seize control of their country. Nothing could justify such brutal and cowardly behaviour.

In standing up for an immediate end to the unjustified violence and slaughter in Ukraine, and for the sanctions that have been imposed on Russia, the 141 countries that voted at the UN, and the 25 that voted at the OAS, including all CARICOM states, were also standing up for the protection of themselves from the tyranny of more militarily powerful countries. They were standing up for human values of the right to life and the right to live in peace within secure borders.

In every society, there are those who seek to gain from misfortune and misery. Sadly, there is already some speculation in the Caribbean that governments should allow private companies to profit from busting sanctions against

Russia by accommodating, for instance, the yachts of the Russian Oligarchs who have become billionaires through their cosy relationships with the Russian government.

Still others complain about the higher prices that they will have to pay for commodities, such as oil and its related uses. But such persons should be reminded that freedom and the protection of human life and dignity comes by defending what is right and by some sacrifice.

Higher prices will have to be paid for a time, but it is worth the freedom and rights that all humanity deserves. To see the sacrifice for rights and freedom, we need look no further than the courage of the Ukrainian people – men, women and children – who are confronting Russian military tanks and weaponry with nothing in their hands but the flag of their besieged nation.

In the Caribbean, we should remind those, who advocate sanctions busting for short term gain, of the biblical admonition: “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul”.

• Responses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders.com (The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are his own)

MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2022 PAGE 11

THIS photo shows the yacht Amore Vero docked in the Mediterranean resort of La Ciotat, on Wednesday March 2. French authorities seized the yacht linked to Igor Sechin, a Putin ally who runs the Russian oil giant Rosneft, in the Mediterranean resort of La Ciotat, where it arrived in January for repairs.

PAGE 12, Monday, March 7, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

COMMONWEALTH BREWERY SUPPORTS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY COMMONWEALTH Brewery Limited joins the world in celebrating International Women’s Day under the theme Break the Bias.

This year’s theme highlights the ongoing discrimination and inequalities women face throughout our communities and within the workplace, which were highlighted during the pandemic, Commonwealth Brewery (CBL) said in a press release.

“United Nations Women recently reported on the

staggering impact mobility restrictions, school closures, inflation and the economic downfall has had on women globally. The pandemic has forced women to adapt on multiple levels and highlight how important women are to achieving national development goals, reshaping the social landscape and building resilient communities that quickly adapt and withstand global and local hazards,” the company also said.

Putting action behind intent required CBL to take a deeper look into how it supports and encourages its female employees to grow professionally and personally.

“At present, females represent 45 percent of our total workforce. Inclusion, diversity and gender equality are top priorities for CBL and we’ve been intentional with establishing professional development programmes and leadership

opportunities for our female employees.

“Our work continues and I believe, at the end of the day, we will not only attract more females to our organisation, but they will fill critical roles to help us succeed,” says CBL’S HR director, Antoinette Turnquest.

Ms Turnquest said the company has already made strategic operational changes that help accomplish CBL’s end goals.

“We have work flexibility and work-from-home options available to help create a more harmonious work-life balance. When looking at our future, we also plan to reintroduce our internship programme to provide valuable access to work experience, especially to young females, who will have the opportunity to learn from our talented team of professionals,” she said.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, CBL

will host a virtual event for female employees. Guest speakers include Yeisha Forbes who will provide beauty enhancement advice to participants and Phillipa Dean is set to inspire CBL’s women to speak up. CBL has also invited Caline Newton who will offer financial literacy information and Miss Bahamas Universe, Chantel O’Brian, will highlight “how to walk in confidence”.

International Women’s Day is observed on March 8.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, March 7, 2022, PAGE 13

7 DEAD AFTER TORNADOES HIT IOWA

A FACTORY and a store burning after been bombarded in Irpin, in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, yesterday.

Photo: Emilio Morenatti/AP

Shelling intensifies in Ukraine LVIV, Ukraine Associated Press

RUSSIAN forces intensified shelling of cities in Ukraine’s centre, north and south, a Ukrainian official said, upending attempts to evacuate besieged civilians.

With the Ukrainian leader urging his people to fight in the streets, Russian President Vladimir Putin shifted blame for the invasion, saying Moscow’s attacks could be halted “only if Kyiv ceases hostilities”.

The outskirts of Kyiv, Chernihiv in the north, Mykolaiv in the south, and Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, faced stepped-up shelling late yesterday, presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovich said.

Heavy artillery hit residential areas in Kharkiv and shelling damaged a television tower, according to local officials.

“This is likely to represent an effort to break Ukrainian morale,” the UK Ministry of Defense said of Russian tactics as the war entered its 12th day Monday. Fighting has caused 1.5 million people to flee the country, which the head of the UN refugee agency called “the fastestgrowing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II”.

The most recent attacks dashed

hopes that more people could escape the fighting in Ukraine, where Russia’s plan to quickly overrun the country has been stymied by fierce resistance. Russia has made significant advances in southern Ukraine and along the coast, but many of its efforts have become stalled, including an immense military convoy that has been almost motionless for days north of Kyiv.

Food, water, medicine and almost all other supplies were in desperately short supply in the southern port city of Mariupol, where Russian and Ukrainian forces had agreed to an 11-hour cease-fire that would allow civilians and the wounded to be evacuated. But Russian attacks quickly closed the humanitarian corridor, Ukrainian officials said.

“There can be no ‘green corridors’ because only the sick brain of the Russians decides when to start shooting and at whom,” Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko said on Telegram.

A third round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian leaders is planned for Monday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rallied his people to remain defiant, especially those in cities occupied by Russians.

“You should take to the streets!

You should fight!” he said on Saturday on Ukrainian television. “It is necessary to go out and drive this evil out of our cities, from our land.”

Zelenskyy also asked the United States and NATO countries to send more warplanes to Ukraine. But that idea is complicated by questions about how to provide aircraft to Ukrainian pilots.

He later urged the West to tighten its sanctions on Russia, saying that “the audacity of the aggressor is a clear signal” that existing sanctions are not enough.

A senior US defence official said yesterday that the US assesses that about 95 percent of the Russian forces that had been arrayed around Ukraine are now inside the country. The official said Russian forces continue to advance in an attempt to isolate Kyiv, Kharkhiv and Chernihiv, but are being met with strong Ukrainian resistance.

The official said the convoy outside Kyiv continues to be stalled.

As he has often done, Putin blamed Ukraine for the war, telling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday that Kyiv needed to stop all hostilities and fulfill “the well-known demands of Russia”.

Putin launched his invasion with

a string of false accusations against Kyiv, including that it is led by neoNazis intent on undermining Russia with the development of nuclear weapons.

The Russian Defence Ministry yesterday announced that its forces intend to strike Ukraine’s militaryindustrial complex with what it said were precision weapons. A ministry spokesman, Igor Konashenkov, claimed in a statement carried by the state news agency Tass that Ukrainian personnel were being forced to repair damaged military equipment so that it could be sent back into action.

Zelenskyy criticised Western leaders for not responding to Russia’s latest threat.

“I didn’t hear even a single world leader react to this,” Zelenskyy said Sunday evening.

The Russian Defence Ministry also alleged, without providing evidence, that Ukrainian forces are plotting to blow up an experimental nuclear reactor in Kharkiv and to blame it on a Russian missile strike.

Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke yesterday about the nuclear situation in Ukraine, which has 15 nuclear reactors at four power plants and was the scene of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

SEVEN people were killed, including two children, when several tornadoes swept through central Iowa in the state’s deadliest storm in more than a decade.

Emergency management officials in Madison County said four were injured and six people were killed on Saturday when one tornado touched down in the area southwest of Des Moines near the town of Winterset around 4.30pm. Among those killed were two children under the age of five and four adults.

In Lucas County, about 54 miles southeast of Des Moines, officials confirmed one death and multiple reported injuries when a separate tornado struck less than an hour later.

COVID DEATH TOLL NEARS SIX MILLION THE official global death toll from COVID-19 is on the verge of eclipsing six million — underscoring that the pandemic, now entering its third year, is far from over.

The milestone is the latest tragic reminder of the unrelenting nature of the pandemic even as people are shedding masks, travel is resuming and businesses are reopening around the globe.

The death toll, compiled

by Johns Hopkins University, stood at 5,997,994 as of Sunday afternoon.

Remote Pacific islands, whose isolation had protected them for more than two years, are just now grappling with their first outbreaks and deaths.

Hong Kong is testing its entire population of 7.5 million three times this month as it clings to mainland China’s “zero-COVID” strategy.

PAGE 14, Monday, March 7, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

GN-2680

SPORTS PAGE 15

MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2022

Ole Miss, Page 17

Richardson: ‘It’s sad for the fans’

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

W

hile he’s only suiting up as a first base coach nowadays, Antoan Richardson, the sixth of seven Bahamian professional baseball players to play in Major League Baseball, said he can’t wait for the return of the game, if only for the sake of the fans.

Major League Baseball announced on March 1 that they will delay its Opening Day on March 31 after the owners and players’ union failed to reach an agreement before MLB’s 5pm EST deadline. “My first

thoughts for the delay of the season is that it’s sad for the fans,” said Richardson, who had a fairy tale story as a member of the San Francisco Giants.

“We just hope that we can get back out there as soon as possible so that they can enjoy the sport that they love.

“I just hope that we can get this together right away and we can get back out and compete and basically give the kids what they enjoy when they come out to watch the games.”

Richardson, selected by the Giants in the 35th round of the 2005 Major League Draft, returned to the San Francisco Giants in

ANTOAN Richardson February 2019 as a league outfield coordinator before he was elevated as the first base coach on December 23.

Having played in the Major League as an outfielder for the Atlanta

Braves in 2011 and the New York Yankees in 2014, Richardson said it’s different to prepare for the season when there’s no clear indication as to when the season will start.

“It’s the delay more than anything, but everybody’s going to continue to work hard,” Richardson said.

“We just have to be ready and hit the ground running (when the call is made to play ball).

“I think everybody’s just putting as much work as they can in preparation for that day.”

When the season does commence, the Giants will be out to defend their National League Western

Divisional title that they held, only to get eliminated by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the playoffs.

Richardson, 38, doesn’t want to put any pressure on his team, but stressed that they are going to compete night in and night out.

“I think there’s still some stuff to happen before the season goes along because there’s still free agents out there and stuff like that,” Richardson noted.

“I think just like last year, we just have to show up and be ready to compete and try to defend the west. It’s going to be tough. There’s a lot of good teams out there, but I feel very confident that we will be prepared

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Khris Middleton scored a season-high 44 points, Jrue Holiday had 17 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and the Milwaukee Bucks rallied to beat the shorthanded Phoenix Suns 132-122 yesterday.

Milwaukee outscored Phoenix 12-1 over the last three minutes to win in the Suns’ first visit since Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 50 points in a 105-98 Game 6 victory gave the Bucks their first NBA title in 50 years.

In their only previous matchup this season, the Suns won 131-107 in Phoenix on February 10.

The NBA-leading Suns were playing without their usual All-Star starting backcourt of Devin Booker and Chris Paul.

Booker missed his third straight game due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols.

Paul broke his right thumb February 16.

Phoenix also was missing Cam Johnson, two days after he scored 38 points in a 115-114 victory over the New York Knicks.

Johnson has a bruised right quadriceps.

The Bucks won their fourth straight as they completed arguably their toughest three-game stretch of the season. In each of those three games, they came from behind down the stretch.

Milwaukee beat Miami 120-119 on Wednesday night and Chicago 118-112 on Friday night.

The Bucks erased a 14-point deficit in the final six minutes of the Heat game and trailed the Bulls by seven points at the start of the fourth quarter.

This time, the Bucks trailed by five in the final period and withstood the foul trouble of Antetokounmpo, who had 19 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in 31 minutes before fouling out with 1:12 left.

Deandre Ayton led the Suns with 30 points. Cam Payne had 23, Jae Crowder 19, Landry Shamet 17 and Mikal Bridgesh 14.

Serge Ibaka had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks. Jordan Nwora had 12 points and Grayson Allen added 10.

The Suns led 107-102 when Antetokounmpo went to the bench after

SEE PAGE 17

MCCOY AND TIGERS ARE RUNNERS-UP IN SIAC

Ayton cans 30 in Suns’ loss to Bucks

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer

and we will be ready to go every night and every day, so I’m really looking forward to just competing this year.”

Richardson, who officially retired on March 7, 2017 as a player, passed the Bahamian mantle on to 24-year-old Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm, now in his third season with the Miami Marlins.

They followed in the footsteps of the five pioneer players Andre Rodgers, Tony Curry, Ed Armbrister, Wenty Ford and Wil Culmer - all deceased - who played collectively from 1967 to 1983.

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

PHOENIX Suns centre Deandre Ayton led the Suns with 30 points last night.

(AP Photo/Matt York) picking up his fifth foul 3:23 remaining. Crowder to put Milwaukee back in with 7:40 left. sank a 3-pointer to put front for good with 2:52 But the Bucks out- the Suns back ahead with remaining. The Bucks scored the Suns 18-11 3:13 left. Nwora missed rolled from there. Middlein the four-plus minutes a 3-point attempt on the ton scored the game’s final Antetokounmpo missed Bucks’ next possession, seven points, including and owned a 120-118 lead but Antetokounmpo got a 3-pointer that gave the when the two-time MVP the rebound and passed to Bucks a double-digit edge returned to the floor with Nwora, who hit a jumper with 21.6 seconds left.

MALACHI McCoy’s Benedict Tigers had their worst shooting outing of the season in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament finale and finished as runners-up.

McCoy finished with 13 points and a game high 15 rebounds in a 76-62 loss to Savannah State in the SIAC title game Saturday night in the Rock Hill Sports and Events Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

With the loss, the Tigers dropped to 22-7 and will now await an at-large bid for the NCAA Division II Tournament.

After shooting just 24 percent, Benedict trailed 46-15 at the half and never recovered.

“We just didn’t respond well. We got punched in the mouth early,” said Benedict head coach Artis Maddox.

“We missed layups, made turnovers. You just can’t have that when you’re trying to win championships. Kudos to Savannah State, they forced us into those turnovers and forced us into those missed

SEE PAGE 17

MLB reacts angrily Big weekend for Shamar to locked-out players, Burrows in the AUS season still off

by RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball reacted angrily to the latest offer by locked-out players when bargaining resumed yesterday, accusing the union of backtracking and showing no sign of a breakthrough to get the derailed season back on track.

The squabbling sides talked for 95 minutes on the 95th day of the lockout, largely restating their positions to each other. Talks broke off Tuesday after nine days of negotiations in Jupiter, Florida, and Commissioner Rob Manfred cancelled the first two series of the season for each team, a total of 91 games.

If Manfred cancels two additional series through April 13 and 14, that would wipe out 93 more games and increase the total to 184. That would move to

LOCKED gates are shown at Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves baseball team, on March 2 in Atlanta.

(AP Photo/John Bazemore) the verge of threatening players with the loss of service time and delayed free agency.

This was the first meeting since then, coming in the first season delayed by labour strife since 1995.

Manfred was in the MLB offices yesterday but did not attend the bargaining sessions.

The union followed the four-day recess by putting

many of its proposals in writing.

“We were hoping to see movement in our direction to give us additional flexibility and get a deal done quickly,” MLB spokesman Glen Caplin said. “The players’ association chose to come back to us with a proposal that was worse than Monday night and was

SEE PAGE 16

FOLLOWING several postponements, The Dalhousie Tigers were back on the court in Atlantic University Sport play and Shamar Burrows delivered a weekend of career-scoring performances to extend their win streak to seven.

In game one, Burrows finished with 27 points on an efficient 11-15 shooting night from the field en route to a 100-74 win over the Acadia Axemen Friday night in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. In game two, he finished with 26 points on 10-15 shooting from the field last night in an 82-67 win over the UNB Red Bombers at home in Halifax, Nova Scotia The Tigers improved to 10-2 on the season, nationally ranked at no.7 in Canada’s U Sports. Against Acadia, Dalhousie took a slim 20-19 lead at the end of the first quarter and extended it to 44-35 at the half.

With a 67-55 advantage after three quarters of play, the Tigers extended their lead to a game-high 26 points with just over a minute remaining in the game. Burrows scored 17 of his 27 in the second half as the Tigers pulled away.

He also added four rebounds and three assists.

In game two, Burrows added four rebounds and four steals to earn Subway Player of the Game honours.

The Tigers led 17-15 at the end of the first quarter and 43-32 at the half on 52 percent shooting from the field on 17-33 made attempts.

BURROWS The Tigers will close out the regular season next week in a weekend series against Diangelo Woodside and the Cape Breton Capers.

The fourth-year guard is one of several players returning to a Dalhousie team that made programme history in the 2019-20 season.

The Tigers ended just short of their ultimate goal, but finished as the second ranked team in all of Canadian collegiate basketball. They finished with the silver medal at the 2020 U SPORTS Final 8 Basketball Championships - the best finish in programme history.

After his first season with the programme where he played sparingly and averaged just 3.3 points per game, Burrows improved to 8.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting 54 percent from the field in 20 games with six starts in year two.

PAGE 16, Monday, March 7, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

SAC’s Big Red Machine puts on inter-house track and field meet

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net ALTHOUGH they’re not back to full capacity on campus with their every day classroom experience, the St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine used that to their advantage as they returned to their first inter-house track and field competition since the coronavirus broke in 2020.

In a full-fledged meet in all divisions, the Big Red Machine hosted a successful and competitive meet on Friday at the original Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

Marici Thompson, serving in her new capacity as principal, was quite pleased with what she saw and indicated that the Big Red Machine is definitely heading into the right direction as it pertains to the return of sports in schools.

“We’re very excited about having the meet. We just wanted to get the kids outdoors to have some friendly competition,” said Thompson, who replaced former principal Sonja Knowles at the beginning of the year. “It’s all about getting them active again.

“So we’re very happy that we were given the permission. We tried in January, we tried in February, but were denied. We tried one more time and so we’re just happy and relieved that we finally got permission. The kids had a wonderful time and we saw some kids who don’t normally participate, so we’re very happy that we got this meet off.”

For bragging rights, Seton clinched the overall team title with 1,109.5 points out-distancing runners-up Bernard, who accumulated 961.

Alcuin came in third with 914.5 and Leonard rounded out the competition with 873.

SAC’s athletic director Jason Edwards, a former

SCHEFFLER COMES UP CLUTCH, WINS AT BAY HILL

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer

BIG Red Machine athletes compete during SAC’s inter-house track meet at the old Thomas A Robinson national stadium Friday.

Photos by Donavan McIntosh/Tribune Staff jumper during his tenure as a student-athlete for the Big Red Machine, said the inter-house meet was needed because their athletes waited for two years to be able to get on the track and compete against their peers at school.

“Track and field is back for us. We saw some new athletes and some who have been competing in the local club meets do some phenomenal things,” he pointed out. “We had some great performances, wonderful performances.”

Olympic selectee Lacarthea Cooper posted a double sprint victory in the senior girls for Bernard, taking the 100m in 11.79 seconds, nipping Amari Pratt (11.80) and Nya Wright (11.81), both of Seton, and they finished in that same order in the 200m with Cooper (24.66), Pratt (24.88) and Wright (25.48) in the showdown.

Shimar Bain of Seton doubled up in the senior boys’ 100m (10.30) over team-mate Jaydin Plakaris (10.40) and Benjamin Sherman of Alcuin (10.44), while Bain did 21.46 in the 200m over Plakaris’ 21.64 and Bernard’s Alexis Brown in 23.08.

Sherman also captured

the long jump with 6.64m over Brayden Ingraham of Seton with 6.02m. Brandon Hutchinson of Leonard soared in the triple jump with 14.90m, while Jaidyn Brown of Alcuin second in 11.28m.

Seton’s Shayann Demeritte was the winner of the intermediate girls’ 100m in 11.58 over Khylee Wallace of Alcuin in 11.99.

Wallace came through in the 200m in 26.31 with Mallyte Clarke of Seton second in 26.45.

Alexis Roberts of Seton was too much to handle in the junior girls’ division, doubling up in the 400m in 1:00.93 with Najihah Mortimer of Bernard trailing in 1:05.94 and Roberts also surged ahead in the 800m in 2:49.48 well ahead of Azarin Marshall of Leonard, the second place finisher in 2:51.36.

Madison Moss of Bernard sped to victory in the junior girls’ 100m in 12.54 with Zion Carey of Alcuin second in 12.66.

Darvinique Dean of Alcuin powered to the win in the 200m in 26.04 with Moss second in 25.18.

Eagan Neely of Alcuin also breezed through with a double dose of victory in the junior boys’ 200m

in 23.16 and the 400m in 57.01. Ken Burrows of Bernard was second in the 200m in 23.55 with Shavono Nixon third in 23.56. Quincy Rolle of Seton got second in the 400m in 58.68.

Dylan Archer (12.05) and Aiden Curry (12.58)n led a 1-2 punch for Seton in the junior boys’ 100m with Caleb Rolle (13.02) third.

And in the bantam girls’ division, Jayla Smith of Alcuin was the start with her quadruple feat in the 100m in 13.16, 200m in 27.68, 400m in 1:14.68 and long jump with 4.39m.

Logan Stubbs of Seton was the runner-up in the 100m in 13.25 and the 200m in 29.51. Lailah Barr of Bernard was the runner-up in the 400m in 1:23.60 and Dayne Ingraham of Seton got second in the long jump with 2.86m.

Ingraham displayed her versatility too as she went on the track and won the 800m in 3:59.00 over her Seton teammate Kalie Moss (4:04.00) and Tylen Musgrove of Alcuin in 4:05.00.

On the field, Cailyn Johnson of Seton doubled up with a toss of 32.50m in the intermediate girls’ discus and the javelin with

17.58m, Arianna Gomez of Alcuin took the triple jump with a leap of 10.81m and Kamera Strachan of Seton won the junior girls’ javelin with 40.80m Principal Thompson said the Big Red Machine track team would like nothing better now to go on and display their skills against their counterparts in the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS).

The alumni noted that an application has been made to the relevant authorities to stage the BAISS Championships later this month and they’re just waiting to see which schools would take up the challenge and compete.

Whoever comes, Edwards, a physical education teacher and head track and field coach, said the Big Red Machine will be ready to defend its title.

“We’re ready. We’re just waiting on some of those schools who are wavering,” he said. “We don’t know why they don’t want to show up for BAISS. Their athletes are competing in the club meets, so we hope they can put their teams together and come out and compete if we get the meet off.”

ORLANDO, Florida (AP) — Scottie Scheffler isn’t sure he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational as much as he survived it.

Over the final four holes yesterday at Bay Hill, he had to get up-and-down from 149 yards in rough covering the tops of his shoes, and from 67 yards over the water to a back pin on the third-easiest hole.

The two conventional pars that followed were just as scary, one from 45 feet and the other from about 70 feet, on greens with barely enough grass to keep the ball from sliding, knowing a gust could send the ball an extra 8 feet.

Scheffler answered every challenge. He closed with a bogey-free back nine at Bay Hill and an even-par 72 for a one-shot victory, his second on the PGA Tour in a month. He moved to No. 5 in the world.

“To be completely honest with you, right now I’m exhausted,” Scheffler said.

“This course is a total beatdown trying to play. I’m very pleased I didn’t have to play any extra holes.”

Viktor Hovland (74) missed an 18-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the 18th.

Billy Horschel (75) missed a 30-foot birdie in the final group, both trying to force a playoff. They finished one shot behind, along with Tyrrell Hatton, who had a 69 and finished an hour earlier.

Scheffler didn’t win the U.S. Open. It just felt like one. “I feel punch drunk, to be honest,” Rory McIlroy said after a 76-76 weekend.

“It’s like crazy golf. You just don’t get rewarded for good shots. ... The way the conditions are, it makes you feel as if you’re not playing as good as you are.”

Gary Woodland had as good a chance as anyone until he took two shots to get out of a tough lie in the bunker and made double bogey on the par-3 17th, and then finished with a bogey.

He was two shots behind.

FORBIDDEN KINGDOM ROMPS IN SAN FELIPE, BAFFERT TAKES 2ND

By BETH HARRIS AP Racing Writer ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — Forbidden Kingdom romped to a 5 3/4-length victory in the $400,000 San Felipe Stakes on Saturday, beating a pair of 3-year-old colts from the barn of embattled trainer Bob Baffert.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Forbidden Kingdom ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.98 on a showery, 55-degree day at Santa Anita.

Trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, Forbidden Kingdom took the lead out of the gate on the way to his third win in five career starts. He’s a son of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, who was trained by Baffert.

“He was just unbelievable.

He’s just so fast and he kept going faster,” Baffert said about Forbidden Kingdom. “(Flavien) Prat said he thought at the quarter-pole that he was going to get him, but he

MLB

FROM PAGE 15 not designed to move the process forward. On some issues, they even went backwards.

Simply put, we are deadlocked.

We will try to figure out how to respond, but nothing in this proposal makes it easy.”

Trying to resolve baseball’s second-longest labor stoppage, the sides remained far apart on luxury tax, minimum salaries and the proposed bonus pool for pre-arbitration eligible players.

The union lowered its starting point for the bonus pool by $5 million to $80 million but left its proposals for the luxury tax and minimum salary unchanged.

Players declined to publicly respond to MLB but have maintained they withdrew their proposals for expanded free agency and arbitration and decreased revenue sharing while reducing their request on the bonus pool from an original $120 million. They also have offered to agree to uniform and helmet

took off again. I said his dad did the same thing. It’s a great day for Pharoah. He’ll always be dear to my heart.”

It was Forbidden Kingdom’s first try going two turns.

“I was very anxious. You just don’t know if a horse like this will get two turns, but hell, he looked better,” Mandella said.

In four of his wins, the colt has led all the way.

“He’s really fast,” Hernandez said “A couple jumps after we break, he was in front already and I just let him run. I threw him loose on the lead and he never stopped. He showed how good he is.”

Sent off as the even-money favorite in the field of seven, Forbidden Kingdom paid $4, $2.40 and $2.20. The chestnut colt earned 50 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby on May 7.

It’s been 18 years since Mandella had a starter in the Kentucky Derby, where he’s 0

advertising. After the main session, Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem and union chief negotiator Bruce Meyer held a one-on-one meeting. Players suggested the sides meet again Monday, and MLB told the union it would get back with a decision on whether to meet.

Among the few areas with new proposals, players said a fasttrack competition committee should include four union appointees, six management members and one umpire.

The group would consider rules changes for no earlier than 2023 covering a pitch clock of 14 seconds with no runners on base and 19 seconds with runners on, limiting defensive shifts and using larger bases, and it would be able to recommend changes during the offseason with 45 days’ notice for implementation.

MLB last week proposed that the committee include six management officials, two union representatives and one umpire.

Currently, management can only change rules with union

for 6. His last trip to Louisville ended in heartbreak when morning-line favorite Omaha Beach was scratched days before the 2019 race because of a throat issue.

“Omaha was a great horse.

This guy is turning that way,” Mandella said.

“We just hope we keep him as good as he is today.”

Trained by Baffert, Doppelganger returned $2.60 and $2.40 in bouncing back from a fourthplace finish in his last start in the San Vicente. He was beaten by

Forbidden Kingdom in that race on Jan. 25.

“He’s still learning how to run and he was chasing a really fast horse,” Baffert said. “I think he’ll move forward off of that.”

Baffert’s other entry, 9-2 shot Armagnac, finished sixth.

Happy Jack was another 4 3/4 lengths back in third and paid $5 to show.

Baffert’s day at Santa Anita began promisingly enough. He finished 1-2 in the second race on the card and won the $200,000 San Carlos Stakes with 3-5 favorite Cezanne.

He also saddled 1-5 favourite As Time Goes By to a 2 1/4length victory in the $500,000 Beholder Mile for fillies and mares. His other entry, Varda, was third.

At New York’s Aqueduct, Baffert’s entry, Rockefeller, finished last in the 10-horse field for the Gotham Stakes. The $300,000 race awarded Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the

top four finishers, with Morello the winner.

“When he stumbled and fell back, I didn’t like that because I wanted him up near the lead,” Baffert said.

“Once he stumbled, he never got into it. I’m going to ship him to Kentucky and give him a little break.”

Baffert was allowed to run in New York while he awaits a final ruling in the New York Racing Association’s case to ban him from its tracks.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission denied Baffert’s request for a stay of his 90-day suspension on Friday.

His suspension came after a ruling last month by Kentucky stewards that disqualified the late Medina Spirit from his victory in the 2021 Kentucky Derby after he failed a postrace drug test. “We’re fighting for that horse,” Baffert said. “To me, I still think he shouldn’t have been disqualified.”

consent or unilaterally with one year of notice.

Players said they will not allow the committee to consider one topic MLB asked to be included: robots to call balls and strikes.

The union offered to increase the postseason from 10 teams to 12 but said they are willing to discuss management’s desire for 14 if MLB would consider a “ghost win” in the first round, which management isn’t interested in.

The higher seeds would open the best-of-five playoff with a 1-0 series lead.

Players want to raise the luxury tax threshold from $210 last season to $238 million this year, $244 million in 2023, $250 million in 2024, $256 million in 2025 and $263 million in 2026.

MLB is at $220 million in each of the next three seasons, $224 million in 2025 and $230 million in 2026.

Tax rates would remain unchanged and direct amateur draft pick compensation for free agents would be eliminated.

The union lowered its plan for the pre-arbitration bonus pool

from $85 million but asked for $5 million annual increases over the remainder of the deal.

MLB last offered $30 million, up from $25 million, with no annual increase, and suggested the union had orally floated a figure of lower than $80 million when the sides discussed possible trade-offs Monday night.

As part of an overall agreement, players agreed to withdraw their proposed expansion of salary arbitration for players with at least two years of service but less than three.

Players maintained their proposed minimum salary at $725,000 this year, $745,000 in 2023, $765,000 in 2024 and increases during the following two years based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners.

Owners have offered $700,000, with $10,000 annual increases.

For players assigned to the minors and signing a second or later big league contract, MLB is at a $99,400 minimum this year, $101,400 in 2023, $103,400 in 2024, $105,500 in 2025 and

$106,600 in 2026, while players are at $118,200, $121,400 and $124,700, followed by cost-of-living increases.

For those in the minors on a first big league contract, MLB is at $49,800 with $1,000 annual increases, while players are at $59,500 for this year followed by $61,100, $62,700 and cost-of-living increases.

Players rejected MLB’s proposal for an international draft and remained at the top six picks for the proposed amateur draft lottery, one more than MLB. Players also want to cut back on MLB’s proposed international games that include Mexico City; Melbourne, Australia; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and South Korea.

If more than 15 days are lost in the 186-day season and players do not receive service time for them in the eventual settlemet, freeagent eligibility would be pushed back for many players, including Shohei Ohtani from 2023 to 2024, Pete Alonso from 2024 to 2025, Jake Cronenworth from 2025 to 2026 and Jonathan India from 2026 to 2027.

BOB Baffert

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, March 7, 2022, PAGE 17

No. 1 Gamecocks beat Ole Miss going for SEC women’s 3-peat

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net YOLETT McPheeMcCuin and her Ole Miss Rebels women’s basketball programme had their Southeastern Conference Tournament run end in the semifinal against the top ranked team in the nation and now look ahead to continue their postseason run with an at large bid for the NCAA Tournament.

In its first SEC Tournament Semifinal game appearance in 29 years, Ole Miss suffered a 61-51 loss to the no.1 South Carolina Gamecocks Saturday afternoon at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Ole Miss will await its postseason fate until Selection Sunday on March 13, as the Rebels hope to seek an at large bid to the NCAA Tournament for its first appearance since 2007.

In their third matchup against the Gamecocks this season, it was South Carolina’s slimmest margin of victory.

In a January 27 matchup, South Carolina won 69-40, followed by a 71-57 win on February 27. “We are still

MISSISSIPPI head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin reacts to a score against South Carolina in the second half of an NCAA college basketball semifinal round game at the women’s Southeastern Conference tournament on Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.

(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) trying to figure out how to grow in times of adversity. And adversity hit in the game, and we did not

respond well. If there was one thing I was disappointed with, it would be that,” McPhee-McCuin

said. “Adversity hit, and we didn’t respond well.”

South Carolina led by as much as 25 in the third

quarter, but Ole Miss used a 21-8 run in the fourth to get back into the game.

“As we continue to try to

SMITH’S 35 POINTS HELPS NO. 5 BAYLOR WOMEN WIN BIG 12 WACO, Texas (AP) — Another green-and-gold confetti celebration for NaLyssa Smith and fifthranked Baylor, and another Big 12 title that the Bears don’t have to share.

Smith had a career-high 35 points with 12 rebounds in her senior day game as the Bears clinched the outright Big 12 women’s title with an 82-57 win over Texas Tech in the regularseason finale yesterday.

“It’s always exciting winning. That’s my favourite feeling ever,” Smith said.

“The more I win, the more excited I am.”

The Bears (25-5, 15-3 Big 12) were guaranteed at least a share of their 12th consecutive Big 12 title and 13th overall after an 87-62 win at ninth-ranked Iowa State last Monday.

Baylor, which has won 15 of 16 games since losing their first two conference games for new coach Nicki Collen, had to beat Texas Tech for the outright title after the Cyclones ended their regular season Saturday night with a win.

“It sounds silly to say we went from the outhouse to the penthouse, but we

did in two months,” said Collen, the former WNBA coach who replaced Kim Mulkey. “But we were resilient. I’ll never forget being in that locker room at (Oklahoma) at 0-2 and looking every kid in the eye and asking them individually, are you going to quit? ... Do you still believe? And every one of them said yes. And from then on, we’ve just chipped away at it.”

Bryn Gerlich had 12 points and Taylah Thomas 11 for Texas Tech (11-18, 4-14), which as a team wasn’t able to outscore Smith by herself until the second half. Smith had 22 points at halftime, when Baylor had a 45-22 lead.

Vivian Gray finished with 10 points, held to half of her season average.

After Smith’s two free throws in the opening minute, Tech tied the game at 2-2 before Smith and Gray traded jumpers for a 4-4 tie.

The Bears then built a four-point lead before Smith’s fastbreak layup that began her stretch of 12 consecutive points over a four-minute span.

BAYLOR forward NaLyssa Smith, centre right, holds up the Big 12 regular season champion trophy with head coach Nicki Collen, centre left, and teammates Jordan Lewis, right, and Queen Egbo after an NCAA college basketball game against Texas Tech in Waco, Texas, yesterday.

(AP Photo/LM Otero) “Obviously Baylor’s a really good basketball team. And we were pretty mismatched with NaLyssa, of course,” Lady Raiders coach Krista Gerlich said.

“She’s got some really good pieces around her, so it’s hard to try to double her in some spots. ... She’s just a dynamic player that that can score in a variety of ways.”

Smith, who could be the No. 1 overall pick in the

Junior Davis Cup: Bahamas boys open with win against Honduras OPENING day in El Salvador at the Junior Davis Cup was a good one as the Bahamas boys team started the tournament with a win strong against Honduras.

William McCartney won 6-4, 6-3 in the first round of matches.

In the next round Michael Major Jr won the first set and matches got suspended in the second set due to a heavy downpour of rain. The Billy Jean

King Cup players also saw action on Day 1. They faced the host nation Dominican Republic.

Jalisa Clarke put in a good effort but lost 0-6, 0-6.

Sierra Rodgers played hard but lost 2-6, 1-6.

The team is down 0-2 awaiting their doubles matches.

Jr Davis Cup members are Michael Major Jr, McCartney, Jackson Mactaggart and Coach Gregory

Greene. And the Jr BJK Cup members are Sierra Rodgers, Jalisa Clarke, BreAnn Ferguson and Coach Sharon Greene.

The BLTA wishes both teams good success as the tournament progresses as they represent the country in Santo Domingo. The boys started out very strong with the win.

The girls put in a good effort and will see action again tomorrow.

FANS

“And (I hope) he just continues to be an ambassador for the Bahamas and for the younger players coming up. My hope is that he continues to make the adjustments that leads to him just continuing to improve as a baseball player on and off the field.”

As the shining light for so many young players in his era who are now in the pipeline having signed their pro contracts on a daily basis over the past few years, Richardson said the future looks bright for the Bahamas in the sport.

“I definitely feel that anytime you get an opportunity to pursue your dream and play a professional sport, you definitely have to look into it, do your due diligence and figure out if that’s the best part for you,”

Richardson advised the younger players. “ My hope is that we see more guys get to the Major League. With some help and resources, I’m excited to think that we could get some guys to the Majors sooner than later. I know there are a couple of people working hard at home making sure that the minor leaguers get some resources and so I’m looking forward to the announcement around that and what that could mean for the future of baseball in our country.”

Richardson said he just hopes that the Major League can get their act together and play ball so that the near core of Bahamian players can get the experience that he and Chisholm and the deceased players enjoyed so far.

FROM PAGE 15 As the new kid on the block, Richardson said he’s proud of the performance of Chisholm, who has become a household name for the Marlins, just missing out on a 20-20 home season last year after he finished with an average of .248/.303/.425 with 13 home runs, 53 RBIs and 23 stolen bases.

“I just expect for him to continue to improve and to be the impact player in the Major League,” Richardson said.

“I know he has some lofty goals for himself this year, but the expectations is that he continues to make adjustments as the league adjusts to him.

next WNBA draft, finished with her 21st double-double this season and 49th in her 127 career games.

Her previous career high for points was 33 eight days earlier against Kansas, and she had followed that with a career-best 20 rebounds in the win over Iowa State last Monday.

Jaden Owens added 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting, including three 3-pointers, for Baylor.

Gray’s free throw with 8:07 left in the third quarter was Tech’s 23rd point, one more than Smith at the time. Smith immediately followed with a layup for her 24th point before the Red Raiders had consecutive field goals for the first time in the game though that 22-point deficit was the closest they would be the rest of the game.

A day after the reigning national champion Baylor men celebrated a share of their second consecutive Big 12 title with a win at home over Iowa State, there was another postgame championship celebration at the Ferrell Center.

The women were presented their latest trophy on a stage with a long table in front of that with the 12 previous conference trophies on display.

Smith was the last of the nine Bears players — they have only eight scholarship players and a walk-on added at the start of the season — to cut off a piece of the net. Collen finished it off and then thrust the last piece of net up in the air.

build our team because we don’t just want to be a good team, we want to be a great programme, I have to keep putting them in situations to get the right response so in the game they will be able to self-correct quicker,” McPhee-McCuin said.

“Because I imagine had we self-corrected coming out in the third quarter, we would have given ourselves even a better chance.”

At 23-8, 10-6 in the SEC, Ole Miss enjoyed its best finish in conference play since the 1993-94 season.

They concluded the regular season with wins in four of their last five games.

This season, the programme earned its first top 25 ranking since 2007.

The 2021-22 campaign thus far has been highlighted by a 13-game win streak, the third longest win streak in programme history. It also included wins over three ranked opponents.

“It’s not like we’re not confident. We won 23 games. No one came down the chimney and gave us those wins. We had to go and earn them. So, we know that we’re capable.

We just have to do a better job responding.”

MCCOY

FROM PAGE 15 layups. We were trying to chip away at it. We did a great job the first 10 or 12 minutes of the second half, but then we got in foul trouble and started putting them at the line.”

McCoy was named to the All-Tournament team. In the opener against LeMoyne-Owen he finished with 10 points and six rebounds, followed by 16 points, nine rebounds and four blocks in a win over no.19 Miles College.

McCoy’s breakout season was filled with career highs, averaging 10.9 points and a team-leading 8.9 rebounds per game. He also leads the team with 41 blocked shots.

As a freshman he averaged 7.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game and last year in the COVID shortened season he averaged just 5.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

The Berry Islands native said he’s seen the team continue to grow over the course of the last three seasons he has been with the programme. “I’ve grown, I’ve seen the team grow.

When I came here we were a 14 win team,” McCoy said.

“To go from that to 23 wins, I think it’s pretty good.”

PAGE 18, Monday, March 7, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

‘Set me up for life’: Female college athletes stash NIL cash

By ERICA HUNZINGER AP Sports Writer A FIGURE sprints toward the camera along a walkway at an apartment complex, first in real time, then in slow motion before going back to real time.

The woman is dressed in a tracksuit, she’s fast and the spoken word-song playing over the video says “it’s me against me.”

More than 20,000 people have viewed this Eastbaysponsored TikTok post on Kentucky sprinter and hurdler Masai Russell’s account, and 2,000-plus engaged with it. It’s just one of several name, image and likeness deals sending a good chunk of change in Russell’s direction since July.

She said she “loves the camera” and loves being able to “reap the benefits of what I love to do on a daily basis outside of track.”

Russell and a growing number of female college athletes are making a name for themselves on social media and cashing in under the NCAA’s interim policy covering athlete compensation by serving up a range of looks: serious business on the court, laid-back casual at home, approachably confident, slinky, sexy coed. Whether their selfrun social media profiles are more wholesome or risque, they’re embracing the power of their image, hoping it brings attention not just to their sport and themselves but also financial independence after college. “We can’t play forever and we have to have something to fall back on. The ball stops bouncing at some point,” North Carolina sophomore basketball player Deja Kelly told The Associated Press. She said she has six NIL deals, including Dunkin’, Outback Steakhouse and a couple yet to be announced, and some of the deals have equity partnership. “... (I)t’s a generational opportunity, it’ll set me up for life,” Kelly said.

“If I were to stop playing basketball in five years, I would be fine because all the things I’m setting up now and I’m focusing on now.”

West Coast Conference Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said she believes

that NIL deals soon will matter less about an athlete’s alma mater as they build a brand that will last beyond the final year of eligibility.

“And I hope it’s not just the attractiveness category,” Nevarez said, “but because I’m very skilled in the sport or because I happen to have a (clothing) line or code programming at a really high level that you’re going to start to get more of that engagement.”

It’s hard to ignore the attractiveness factor for some female athletes landing big deals.

The Barstool Athletics Instagram page, which features its NIL athletes and has more than 200,000 followers, featured posts with 46 women and 11 men over the span of a recent month. Beautiful Ballers, a brand that aims to “inspire women to believe that being an athlete doesn’t diminish your beauty,” features female athletes for its 468,000 followers on Instagram, where it posts pictures and videos of anything from athletes playing their sport to wearing barely-there bikinis.

Image-based NIL deals lead the way for college athletes, according to Athliance, meaning social media and photos, video or film. About 36% of reported deals to NIL platform Opendorse from July 1 to Dec. 31 were either for posting content on social media or creating visual content.

LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne is one of the most recognizable college athletes on social media. She has 1.5 million followers on Instagram and 4.8 million followers on TikTok. She told the AP in a written response to questions that she has about 10 deals, most of them recurring, and said she’s “a top-earning athlete in the NIL space.”

“When the rules changed, there was a lot of hype about how big of an opportunity this could be for me and nothing has fallen short of those expectations,” she said.

In recent TikTok and Instagram ads , The 19-year-old wears a short white tank top and pops her hip to show off how well American Eagle jeans fit. She does some modeling as part of her NIL

FRANCE, SPAIN, US, ARGENTINA EASE INTO DAVIS CUP FINALS

By FOSTER NIUMATA Associated Press

KENTUCKY track & field athlete Masai Russell, right, runs during practice at Nutter Field House in Lexington, Ky., on Friday, February 18. Russell is among a cohort of NCAA women’s athletes who are making a name for themselves on social media.

(AP Photo/Timothy D Easley) deals, though mostly she deals,” but said becoming a and I don’t have anything,” posts on social media. brand is a balancing act. she said, “so I’m trying to “I try to use my social “(I’m) always constantly play it out very smart and media to show different stuck between how much play it out the right way so sides of my personality. It do I post versus how little that I’m pretty well-off in is important to show that do I post,” she said. “I want my later years.”

I am more than just my to be as genuine as I posThat is exactly what sport,” Dunne said. “I like sibly can, but I also know Ketra Armstrong, a profesto think my vibe is happy that I’m building a brand sor of sport management and confident. I really am for myself … generally, I and director of the Center a normal college student, will lean more towards the for Race and Ethnicity in so I am comfortable show- genuine side of who I am, Sport at the University of ing myself studying with and then people can take it Michigan, hopes NIL does no makeup, all dressed up or leave it.” for female athletes. and going out, or flipping Russell’s “20 or so” NIL “Social media ... has elearound in the gym.” deals include Walgreens, vated their entrepreneurial For people like Russell Hulu and WWE. Most of spirit,” Armstrong said. and Dunne, social media’s her NIL activities have “The DIY things that some long been integrated into been on social media, of the women are doing, the fabric of building their which has left her wanting the modeling that some of brand. That hadn’t been the “more exposure” and to them were doing on the case for Bailey Moody, who explore “who I am outside side in preparing for life plays wheelchair basketball of just pictures.” after sports — all of these for the University of Ala“Instagram gets kind things now are not just the bama and was a member of of old to me, and I think sidekicks that they were the bronze-medal-winning that my followers get kind thinking about, but now U.S. paralympic team. of used to it because … it’s the cash cow! … It’s a “It’s a lot of work,” the pay-partnership posts way that they can become Moody said. “I give all the don’t usually do as well as financially independent, people that are influencers authentic posts,” said Rus- using their skills and their — like big-time influencers sell, who also has her own talents.” on social media — credit merchandise.

Kelly, who leads the Tar because it’s a lot of time.

“So I just want to be seen Heels this season in at 15.8 You’ve got to make your somewhere else other than points per game, is pairing post look good and get fol- Instagram.” with well-known brands lowers, and the way you get An All-American who and setting herself up, followers is posting videos helped set a school record but she is also clear about and all of these things.” in the 4x400-meter relay what she wants her image Moody’s main NIL deal and participated in the and likeness to advance: — with Degree deodorant’s Olympic team trials, Rus- “women’s empowerment,” Breaking Limits campaign sell has her sights set on the “Black athletes’ empower— came through Team future — real estate invest- ment” and “giving back to USA. She makes videos ing — so she is saving what my community.” and posts graphics, cap- she is getting from NIL, “I’m not trying to change tions and hashtags, mostly which she said is in the six- myself just to get a certain on Instagram. She’s thrilled figure range. deal,” Kelly said. “If they that Degree is highlighting “I don’t want to say that I won’t take me for who I adapted athletics, which was 21 making this amount am, then it wasn’t meant to “deserves to have these of money, and now I’m 30 be.”

(AP) — France, Spain, the United States and Argentina eased into the Davis Cup Finals while Belgium scraped past host Finland 3-2 in the qualifiers on Saturday.

Australia came from behind to beat Hungary 3-2 in Sydney, as did Italy against Slovakia in Bratislava.

France ticked all of its boxes in defeating Ecuador 4-0 in Pau, its first home tie since the 2018 final. Arthur Rinderknech earned his first singles win, Benjamin Bonzi won on debut, and the doubles team of PierreHugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut remained unbeaten in six years.

Spain took out Romania 3-1 in Marbella. After Roberto Bautista Agut and 19th-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, on debut, won the opening singles on Friday, Romania pegged them back on Saturday in the doubles when Marius Copil and Horia Tecau — playing Davis Cup for 13 years — won. But Bautista Agut clinched the tie in beating Copil, playing his third match in two days, 6-2, 6-3.

The U.S. doubles team of Rajeev Ram and Jack Sock built on the singles wins of Sebastian Korda and Taylor Fritz on Friday by clinching the tie against Colombia 3-0 in Reno, Nevada, after topping Nicolas Barrientos and Juan-Sebastian Cabal 6-3, 6-4.

A strong Argentina team led by Diego Schwartzman and Horacio Zeballos beat the Czech Republic 4-0 in Buenos Aires for the loss of one set.

Unheralded Zizou Bergs, ranked 163rd, came through for Belgium, the Davis Cup runner-up in 2015 and 2017, against Finland in Espoo.

Finland led 2-1 after the doubles, but David Goffin beat Emil Ruusuvuori for his second point and Bergs, who lost to Ruusuvuori on Friday, won the decisive point for Belgium by dispatching Otto Virtanen 6-4, 6-0.

Man City doubles down on United’s anguish for derby glory

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer LONDON (AP) — A double from Kevin De Bruyne. A double from Riyad Mahrez. The double completed by City over United in this season’s Manchester derbies.

Just further confirmation of the divergent paths these one-time rivals are on in the Premier League.

The 4-1 victory yesterday restored City’s six-point lead over Liverpool in its quest to defend the title and pick up the trophy for a sixth time in a decade.

And where is United?

Languishing 22 points behind City and now no longer even in the fourth and final Champions League place.

“They showed what kind of top quality team they have,” United interim manager Ralf Rangnick said.

It was being outclassed at home and losing 2-0 to City in the derby in November that precipitated the firing of Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

The final blow was losing to Watford — the team that was beaten 3-2 in Sunday’s

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other game that allowed Arsenal to dislodge United from fourth.

“I didn’t actually expect Arsenal to lose at Watford,” Rangnick said. “So for us it’s clear, if we still want to have a chance to finish fourth at the end of the season, we can almost not drop any more points, and we also know that in those 10 games that we have to play, there are a few other difficult ones so let’s take it game by game.

“For us, it’s important we keep developing the team, which we did in the last couple of months.”

But United has been a work in progress since Alex Ferguson retired back in 2013 after the last Premier League title win.

Yesterday’s game produced only City’s second home derby win in the league in seven attempts.

But while United and City both have a net spend of around $1 billion on transfers in the last decade, the blue half of Manchester is the team regularly collecting trophies. United is enduring a five-year title drought since the 2017 Europa League triumph that can only be ended by winning the Champions League this season.

The European Cup is the priority trophy for City after losing the final last season to Chelsea, however sweet it will be to win the Premier League again.

United did have to cope without Cristiano Ronaldo,

MANCHESTER United’s goalkeeper David de Gea gestures after Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez scores his side’s fourth goal during their English Premier League soccer match at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, yesterday.

(AP Photo/Jon Super) Edinson Cavani, Raphael Varane and Luke Shaw through injury or illness on Sunday.

That doesn’t fully account for how ineffective United was or how susceptible Harry Maguire was in defense.

It took City only five minutes to go in front.

De Bruyne connected with the cutback from Bernardo Silva and shot through Maguire’s legs and past goalkeeper David De Gea. There was a glimmer of hope when Paul Pogba released Jadon Sancho and the former City player

took on Kyle Walker before bending the ball into the net in the 22nd minute.

City took only six minutes to regain the lead. The move began with a moment of dazzling individual brilliance by Phil Foden flicking the ball over Victor Lindelof.

While the shot was parried by De Gea, Bernardo Silva’s follow-up shot was only partly blocked by Maguire before United defender Alex Telles managed to knock the ball for De Bruyne to net again.

“They tried to press us and they played well in the first half,” De Bruyne

said. “In the second half we found more opportunities.”

It was Mahrez’s turn to contribute the goals in the second half at the Etihad Stadium — starting with an assist from De Bruyne.

Mahrez connected with a corner from the Belgium playmaker with a half-volley that slightly deflected off Maguire before landing in the net in the 68th.

There was initially an offside reprieve for United in the 90th but then the VAR review did allow Mahrez’s strike to count, compounding the misery for United.

“If the second half is not our best I don’t know

what we have to do, honestly,” City manager Pep Guardiola said. “I’m such a demanding man, but I know my limits and I know the players’ limits and the second half in all terms (was excellent).”

Maguire was devastated as he tried to analyse what went wrong.

“When we had the ball,” Maguire said. “We just gave it back to them far too cheaply, far too easily, we weren’t clean enough with our passing. And in moments where we did have chances to hurt them we weren’t clinical enough, we weren’t clean enough with the passing and the transitional moments in the game, especially in the second half.”

ARSENAL ASCENDANCY United took to the field knowing Arsenal had already won at Vicarage Road and gone fourth.

A cut-back from Bukayo Saka set up Martin Odegaard to slot in the opener in the fifth minute.

Although Watford levelled though Cucho Hernandez’s acrobatic volley, Saka restored the lead in the 30th after a one-two with Alexandre Lacazette. Gabriel Martinelli’s curling shot at the start of the second half extended the lead for Arsenal, which endured a nervy end after Moussa Sissoko’s goal in the 87th but Watford couldn’t muster a comeback and remains next-from-last in the standings.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, March 7, 2022, PAGE 19

In Wizards debut, Porzingis keys 133-123 win over Pacers

By NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis finally made his debut for the Washington Wizards — and didn’t need much time to make a big impact.

Porzingis scored 25 points in his first game for Washington, and the Wizards beat the Indiana Pacers 133-123 last night.

Porzingis returned from a right knee bone bruise and played for the first time since the Wizards acquired him from Dallas in a trade nearly a month ago.

It was his first game overall since January 29.

He started and played a significant role despite playing only 21:19.

“Happy to be out there with a minutes restriction,” Porzingis said.

“I tried to stay calm, not to do too much, play the right way. Most importantly, we got the win.

Kyle Kuzma scored 23 points for the Wizards, who took control of the game with a 39-point third quarter.

Washington pulled within two games of Brooklyn, Charlotte and Atlanta, who would occupy the last three spots in the Eastern Conference play-in round if the season ended now.

Washington went right to the 7-foot-3 Porzingis on its first offensive possession, throwing a lob his way. He couldn’t quite slam it down, but he did manage to tip the ball in.

Later in the first half, Porzingis provided another highlight when he blocked Oshae Brissett near the basket, although Brissett scored over Porzingis immediately afterward.

When Indiana had the ball down three late in the

PACERS guard Chavano “Buddy” Hield (24) passes against Wizards centre Kristaps Porzingis (6) during the second half yesterday in Washington.

(AP Photo/Nick Wass) fourth, Kuzma blocked a Brogdon scored 27 12-game losing streak. shot, and Porzingis threw points for the Pacers, who Porter scored 19 of his 22 down a one-handed alley- have lost 11 of 14. second-half points in the oop dunk at the other end, “Just finding gaps in third quarter to help Houputting the Wizards up the defense, trying to be ston overcome a 10-point 124-119. aggressive,” said Brogdon, halftime deficit. Wood has “Everybody was great who went 11 of 13 on free scored at least 20 points in finding me, and then Deni throws. “This team needs three games.

(Avdija) threw the lob at scoring, so that’s what I’m Jalen Green added 24 the end,” Porzingis said. trying to provide.” points and eight rebounds, “It was a great moment Indiana led 61-57 at half- and Eric Gordon had 12 for the first game to be time, but the Wizards shot points in the Rockets’ here in Washington, and 61% from the field in the first victory since beating looking forward to many third quarter and took a Cleveland on Feb. 2. more moments like that.”

96-87 lead into the fourth.

Desmond Bane scored Malcolm Brogdon made After the Pacers started 28 points, and Ja Morant two free throws for Indiana the final period with four added 22 points and six with 1:35 left, but Porzin- straight points, Porzingis assists for Memphis, gis again dunked after an made a 3-pointer to push coming off a home vicoffensive rebound. the lead back to eight. tory Saturday night over “I was pleasantly surROCKETS 123, Orlando. Steven Adams prised, honestly, with his GRIZZLIES 112 had season-high 23 points conditioning,” Wizards HOUSTON (AP) — and finished with 12 coach Wes Unseld Jr. said.

Kevin Porter Jr scored 29 rebounds.

“I know we had to be points, Christian Wood NUGGETS 138, mindful of the stretches added 28 points and 13 PELICANS 130, OT that he was going to play, rebounds and Houston DENVER (AP) — but he handled it well.” beat Memphis to end a Nikola Jokic scored 30 of

his 46 points in the fourth quarter and overtime and Denver rallied after squandering an early 21-point lead to beat New Orleans.

Jokic hit two free throws to tie it with 3.2 second remaining in regulation and then sealed it in OT with a 3-pointer with 1:30 left. His big night led to an improbable win in which coach Michael Malone was ejected late in the third quarter, the team completely unraveling and then regrouping down the stretch.

Jokic, the reigning NBA MVP also had 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his league-leading 17th tripledouble of the season.

Brandon Ingram had 38 points for New Orleans.

The Pelicans had won four in a row.

JAZZ 116, THUNDER 103 OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) —Bojan Bogdanovic made a franchise-record 11 3-pointers and scored 35 points to help Utah beat Oklahoma City.

Bogdanovic attemped 18 3-pointers. Donovan Mitchell had 24 points and 10 assists, and Jordan Clarkson added 20 points for the Jazz.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 33 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for Oklahoma City.

CAVALIERS 104, RAPTORS 96 CLEVELAND (AP) — Rookie Evan Mobley had 20 points and 17 rebounds, Lauri Markkanen scored 22 points and Cleveland widened its lead over Toronto in the Eastern Conference.

The Cavs won for just the second time in eight games.

Pascal Siakam scored 24 points for Toronto.

Heat preparing for Oladipo’s long-awaited return to lineup

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer MIAMI (AP) — Victor Oladipo is questionable. After three years of dealing with rehab and challenges, that’s a breakthrough.

The Miami Heat are listing Oladipo as questionable for their game tonight against the Houston Rockets. Officially, that means there’s a 50-50 chance of the twotime All-Star playing for the first time in nearly a year, and the expectation is that — barring any last-second setback — his return is about to happen.

Oladipo last appeared in an NBA game on April 8, 2021. He has been sidelined since while going through another recovery process following a second surgery on his right quadriceps tendon, which he originally injured while playing for the Indiana Pacers in January 2019.

“He has great fortitude,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That’s the toughest thing for a professional athlete is to get injured and most of your time is away from the team. Probably, when you talk about mental health, that is the most challenging thing for an athlete.

“You don’t necessarily always feel like you’re a part of it. You have doubts, you don’t know what it’s going to look like on the other side when you do get healthy, you’re not sure if all the work is really mattering. That’s a tough place for an athlete.”

MIAMI Heat’s Victor Oladipo poses for a photo during the NBA basketball team’s Media Day in Miami, Sept. 27, 2021. The Heat are listing Oladipo as questionable for their Monday, March 7, 2022 game against the Houston Rockets. Officially, that means there’s a 50-50 chance of the two-time All-Star playing for the first time in nearly a year, and the expectation is that — barring any last-second setback — his return is about to happen.

(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) Oladipo figures to give even more depth to a Heat team that is 43-22 and holding a three-game lead in the Eastern Conference standings with 17 contests remaining. He’s averaged 17.5 points over his career and was averaging 19.8 in stints with three teams — Miami, Houston and Indiana — last season before getting hurt.

And now his return could come against the Rockets, the team that sent him to Miami a year ago in

exchange for Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley and a swap of draft picks.

“He looks great,” Heat forward Jimmy Butler said. “He’s been working for, whew, a long time, countless amounts of hours, rehab, in the gym, in the weight room. And I’m excited for him to get back.”

Oladipo has missed each of Miami’s last 89 games, including last season’s playoff appearance.

He has played in just 56 games since the initial injury three years

ago, missing 201 during that span.

He missed a year following the first surgery, then 11 months this time after the second surgery.

The challenge for Spoelstra, which he won’t complain about, is going to be finding minutes for everyone.

Point guard Kyle Lowry will be back at some point — nobody has said when — from a teamapproved absence to deal with a personal matter.

Forward Markieff Morris hasn’t played since getting injured in a scuffle with Denver’s Nikola Jokic on November 8 but has been working out and clarity is expected soon on when he may return. And now Oladipo is on the verge of joining the rotation as well. “We’ve been trying to implement him in stuff. ... He’s going to add a huge boost to us,” Heat forward Caleb Martin said.

Oladipo has been through some practices with the Heat and has done two rehab stints with Miami’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls, though did not appear in an actual game with the Skyforce. He said when the season began that he wants to “have one of the best comeback stories ever.”

His opportunity for that is about to begin.

“Through this entire process I’ve really respected and admired how Vic is able to keep his positive spirit,” Spoelstra said. “It really is a unique quality. I love that quality about him.”

HORNETS TOP SPURS, LEAVING POPOVICH WIN SHORT OF NBA RECORD CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Terry Rozier scored 31 points and the Charlotte Hornets beat San Antonio 123-117 on Saturday night, leaving Spurs coach Gregg Popovich a victory short of tying the NBA record.

San Antonio has lost four straight since beating Washington on February 25 to move Popovich within one of Don Nelson’s record of 1,335 regular-season victories.

LaMelo Ball added 24 points for Charlotte, P.J. Washington and Montrezl Harrell each had 15 and Mason Plumlee had 13 rebounds.

The Hornets made their final 17

free throws. “Any win, we will take,” Rozier said.

“We don’t care if it’s by half a point, that’s the main goal we want to achieve at the end of the night.

So, whatever it takes.”

Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 33 points, but was limited to five in the second half.

Dejounte Murray had 25 points and 10 assists, and Devin Vassell added 14 points.

“They played hard enough to win,” Popovich said of his team, which lost leads in the waning seconds of the third and fourth periods. “They competed hard

enough to win. The end of quarters are still a learning situation for us.”

Ball gave Charlotte a 117-113 lead with two free throws with 55.5 seconds left.

Murray’s layup drew San Antonio to 119-117 before Martin hit four foul shots on two trips to the line in the final 33.6. “I thought we finished with one rebound at least,” Hornets coach James Borrego said. “Cody had a huge rebound at the end to seal this game, but we had a couple of slips there. We have to get bodies on bodies and it could’ve cost us

again, but we are fortunate to get the win.”

With Charlotte ahead 115-111, Plumlee contended with Jakob Poeltl for a rebound.

The two locked up on the ball, and Plumlee slung Poeltl to the floor in an effort to control the ball. Officials ruled it a jump ball and no foul on Plumlee.

“They definitely kicked up the intensity and made it harder for us to make shots that we usually hit,” Johnson said.

“That is why we keep grinding and we will now get ready and be ready to go on Monday.”

DEYTON Albury

ALBURY AND INDIANS ARE BACKTO-BACK CHAMPIONS DEYTON Albury and the Chipola College Indians celebrated as back-to-back champions as they added their 15th Florida College System Activities Association Athletics FCSAA Division One State/ NJCAA National Junior College Athletic Association’s District Men’s Basketball Tournament to their collection.

On Saturday, coached by FCSAA Coach of the Year Donnie Tyndall, the Indians sealed the deal with a 73-64 win over the topseed Indian River State College to earn their berth in the NJCAA D1 Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas, March 14-19.

Albury, coming off the bench, played 18 minutes and contributed four points, shooting 2-for-7 from the field, with five rebounds, a steal and an assist.

The Indians out of Marianna, Florida, faced Indiana River State in a rematch of last year’s final when Chipola College won to set the stage for this year’s showdown.

This time around, the Indians had to rally from a 36-33 half-time lead on Saturday to finish the second half on a 12-0 spurt to secure the repeat win.

After Acher Achor converted an offensive rebound into a putback for a 37-36 lead with 18:59 left, Chipola stayed in control.

Nae-gyen Tamlin, the most valuable player, scored 16 points in the win.

Kris Gardiner led Indian River State with a game high 20.

VILLANOVA CRUISES BY BUTLER IN REGULARSEASON FINALE

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Justin Moore and No. 11 Villanova got defensive in their tune-up for the Big East Tournament.

Moore scored 16 points, Jermaine Samuels added 15 and the Wildcats broke away early to beat Butler 78-59 Saturday in their regular-season finale.

Villanova (23-7, 16-4 Big East) will be the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament.

“We came in and wanted to take pride in defense, playing tough and being physical, rebounding and contesting shots in the paint,” Moore said.

“We knew it would be tough coming in this environment and trying to get stops. We were stayed together and stayed focused and got it done.”

The Bulldogs (13-18, 6-14) take a five-game losing streak into the tourney. Villanova scored 11 straight points during a 20-1 run that made it 23-4.

The Wildcats were up by 28 midway through the second half. “That was important to get off to a good start here,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said.

PAGE 20, Monday, March 7, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Tatum’s 54 leads Celtics past Durant, Irving, Nets 126-120

By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored a season-high 54 points — 34 of them in the second half — and the Boston Celtics overcame a rare appearance of both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the Nets lineup, beating Brooklyn 126-120 yesterday.

Durant played in his second game since mid-January and scored 37 for the Nets to become the 23rd player in NBA history to reach 25,000 points.

Irving joined him for just the fourth time all season, scoring 19 in his first game in three weeks and his first in Boston since he was pelted with a water bottle during the playoffs. Jaylen

Brown, who was cleared to return to Boston’s lineup after testing his sprained ankle pregame, scored 21 for the Celtics. He beat the 24-second clock to hit a 3-pointer and give Boston a 121-115 lead in the final minute. Durant missed a jumper the next time down — complaining that he was fouled, with no luck. Tatum was fouled the next possession and, as “MVP!” chants rang out in the TD Garden, he hit one of two free throws to surpass his previous season high of 51.

The Celtics have won five of their last six and 21 of their last 27 games.

EARLY ON The Nets scored 11 straight points midway through the third and opened their biggest lead

CELTICS guard Marcus Smart (36) passes the ball as Nets guard Kyrie Irving, behind, tries to defend in the first half yesterday in Boston.

(AP Photos/Steven Senne) of the game, 90-81, with just lead on the first basket of over a minute left in the the fourth. quarter. But Boston scored The Celtics opened a 108eight in a row to cut it to 100 lead in the middle of one point, then took the the fourth.

CELTICS forward Jayson Tatum (0) shoots as Nets guard Kyrie Irving (11) defends in the first half yesterday.

UNHAPPY RETURNS Irving was booed by Boston fans still irked that he opted out of his contract after professing his love for the city. On his last visit — the Celtics’ first full house since the pandemic began — a fan threw a water bottle at him when he left the court following a playoff victory.

Irving stomped on the Celtics’ leprechaun logo at midcourt after that game.

On Sunday, former Celtics Glen “Big Baby” Davis was sitting courtside wearing a T-shirt that read “Respect the Logo.”

TIP-INS Nets: Irving had missed seven straight games and did not play in the February 8 game against Boston in Brooklyn because of

New York City’s COVID19 vaccine requirements. ...

Durant missed 21 straight games before returning Thursday night.

Celtics: Nick Stauskas, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2014 draft, signed with Boston over the weekend but did not play. He played in two games for Miami this season and 26 games for the Grand Rapids Gold of the G League. ... Signed forwards Malik Fitts and Kelan Martin to their second 10-day contracts.

They each have played in one game for the Celtics and did not get off the bench on Sunday.

UP NEXT Nets: At Charlotte on Tuesday.

Celtics: At Charlotte on Wednesday.

LeBron James scores 56 points to help Lakers beat Warriors LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James scored a season-high 56 points and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 124-116 on Saturday night to snap a four-game losing streak.

James had his third-most points in a regular season game, finishing with at least 50 for the 13th time. He had a career-best 61 for Miami against Charlotte in 2014.

James was 19 of 31 from the field, shaking off a blow to his right elbow in the first half. Russell Westbrook added 20 points, and Carmelo Anthony had 14.

Stephen Curry had 30 for Golden State, and Jordan Poole added 23.

The Warriors have lost four straight to drop to third overall in the NBA, a half-game behind Memphis and 8 1/2 games behind Phoenix. James reached 40 points in the third quarter before putting the Lakers up 100-97 with 7:51 remaining in the game after knocking down three straight 3-pointers.

MAVERICKS 114, KINGS 113 DALLAS (AP) — Dorian Finney-Smith hit a 3-pointer from the right corner with 3.3 seconds left and Dallas, playing without All-Star guard Luka Doncic, overcame

a 19-point deficit for the second time this week to beat Sacramento.

Doncic was listed on the injury report as having a left toe sprain.

Spencer Dinwiddie scored a season-high 36 points in his first start for Dallas since being acquired from Washington on February 10. Jalen Brunson added 23 points and assisted on the winning basket, driving the length of the court before passing to Finney-Smith for a 114-111 lead.

The Kings had a chance to tie it in the closing seconds, but Harrison Barnes’ 30-footer went off the rim and Justin Holiday converted the miss for a layup for the game’s final points.

Dallas trailed by 19 at Golden State last Sunday before rallying for a 107101 victory. The Mavericks have won five straight.

De’Aaron Fox matched a career high with 44 points for Sacramento.

HEAT 99, 76ERS 82 MIAMI (AP) — Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler each scored 21 points and Miami pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Philadelphia, Gabe Vincent scored 16 points and Caleb Martin added 14 for the Heat.

LAKERS forward LeBron James (6) drives against Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) during the first half in Los Angeles on Saturday.

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis) They are 11-2 in their last quarter before collapsing. leaving Spurs coach Gregg 13 games. Miami was again Joel Embiid finished with Popovich a victory short of without Kyle Lowry, who 22 points and 15 rebounds the tying the NBA record. missed his fourth con- for Philadelphia, which San Antonio has lost secutive game because of held out James Harden on four straight since beating personal reasons. the second night of a back- Washington on February Miami went 3-1 on the to-back as he recovers from 25 to move Popovich within week against four East a left hamstring injury. one of Don Nelson’s record contenders, beating ChiHORNETS 123, of 1,335 regular-season cago, Brooklyn and now SPURS 117 victories.

Philadelphia. The only loss CHARLOTTE, N.C. LaMelo Ball added 24 was at Milwaukee, a game (AP) — Terry Rozier points for Charlotte, P.J. where the Heat led by 14 scored 31 points and Char- Washington and Monmidway through the fourth lotte beat San Antonio, trezl Harrell each had 15

RANDLE FINED $50,000 FOR SHOVING JOHNSON IN LOSS NEW YORK (AP) — New York Knicks forward Julius Randle was fined $50,000 by the NBA on Sunday for shoving Phoenix Suns forward Cam Johnson, making contact with a referee who was trying to break up the altercation and refusing to participate in its ensuing investigation.

Randle and Johnson were both called for technical fouls after bumping chests and exchanging

words in the third quarter of a wild 115-114 victory by the Suns over the Knicks on Friday night.

A referee separated the two, but then Randle barreled through the ref to shove Johnson again, which earned the ejection.

Johnson responded with a brilliant fourth quarter, banking in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to finish with a career-high 38 points. His ninth 3-pointer in 12 tries came

from 31 feet at the top of the key, capping a 21-point fourth quarter that included six 3s. The Knicks looked like they were headed for an impressive road win before Randle’s ill-timed outburst late in the third quarter sent him to the locker room.

Instead, New York blew a 14-point lead in Randle’s absence and dropped its seventh straight game.

and Mason Plumlee had 13 rebounds. The Hornets made 19 of their last 20 free throws.

Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 33 points, but was limited to five in the second half. Dejounte Murray had 25 points and 10 rebounds.

GRIZZLIES 124, MAGIC 96 MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ja Morant had 25 points and seven assists, Desmond Bane scored 24 points on 10-for-15 shooting and Memphis routed Orlando.

Tyus Jones added 14 points for Memphis. The Grizzlies have won three of four.

Cole Anthony led the Magic with 19 points.

Moritz Wagner had 17 points and 11 rebounds.

TIMBERWOLVES 135, TRAIL BLAZERS 121 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns had 36 points and 15 rebounds and Minnesota beat short-handed Portland for its fourth straight win.

The Timberwolves are averaging 133.3 points during the stretch and trail Denver by two games for the sixth spot in the Western Conference.

Anfernee Simons had 38 points, including a careerhigh tying nine 3-pointers, for Portland.

SUNS forward Cameron Johnson (23) and Knicks forward Julius Randle are separated by the referee during the second half of an NBA basketball game, on Friday, March 4, 2022, in Phoenix. Randle was ejected after the play as the Phoenix Suns defeated the Knicks 115-114.

(AP Photo/Matt York)

WNBA’S GRINER ARRESTED IN RUSSIA ON DRUG CHARGES

By MARK AMBROGI Associated Press WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner was arrested last month at a Moscow airport after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges.

The Russian Customs Service said Saturday that the cartridges were identified as containing oil derived from cannabis, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

The customs service identified the person arrested as a player for the US women’s team and did not specify the date of her arrest.

Russian media reported the player was Griner, and her agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, did not dispute those reports.

“We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA,” Kagawa Colas said Saturday.

“As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern.”

On Saturday, the State Department issued a “do not travel” advisory for Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine and urged all US citizens to depart immediately, citing factors including “the potential for harassment against US citizens by Russian government security officials” and “the Embassy’s limited ability to assist” Americans in Russia.

Griner, who plays for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, has played in Russia for the last seven years in the winter, earning over $1 million per season — more than quadruple her WNBA salary. She last played for

PHOENIX Mercury centre Brittney Griner (42) looks to pass as Chicago Sky centre Candace Parker defends during the first half of game 1 of the WNBA basketball Finals on October 10, 2021, in Phoenix.

(AP Photo/Ralph Freso) Cup qualifying her Russian team UMMC World Ekaterinburg on January tournaments.

More than a dozen 29 before the league took a two-week break in early WNBA players were playFebruary for the FIBA ing in Russia and Ukraine

this winter, including league MVP Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley of the champion Chicago Sky. The WNBA confirmed Saturday that all players besides Griner had left both countries.

The 31-year-old Griner has won two Olympic gold medals with the US, a WNBA championship with the Mercury and a national championship at Baylor.

She is a seven-time All-Star.

“Brittney Griner has the WNBA’s full support and our main priority is her swift and safe return to the United States,” the league said in a statement.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, March 7, 2022, PAGE 21

NO. 12 IOWA BEATS NO. 14 INDIANA FOR BIG TEN TITLE, NCAA BID

Kentucky stuns No. 1 SC to win SEC women’s title

By TERESA M WALKER AP Sports Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn.

(AP) — The Kentucky Wildcats came to the Southeastern Conference women’s tournament needing a great run to reach the NCAA Tournament.

Thanks to four wins in as many days, their berth is secure as SEC tournament champs.

“Nope! We are not on the bubble,” second-year Kentucky coach Kyra Elzy said. “We have our ticket punched! We are going!”

Dre’una Edwards hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 4.2 seconds left, and the Wildcats rallied from 15 points down to upset top-ranked South Carolina 64-62 yesterday to win their first SEC tournament championship since 1982.

Kentucky set up the shot out of a timeout with 11 seconds left. Pass the ball to whoever was open, then catch and shoot. South Carolina tried, but couldn’t foul in time. “I had to let it fly,” Edwards said.

Elzy started running up the sideline as soon

Edwards’ shot went up, knowing it was good.

Kentucky senior Rhyne Howard watched as the ball went through the air and compared it to a moment in the movies.

“We knew it was game,” Howard said. “We knew we just won.”

Kentucky hadn’t even reached this game since 2014. These seventh-seeded Wildcats (19-11) won their 10th straight game with this the biggest yet after knocking off sixth-ranked LSU and No. 18 Tennessee to get to this championship.

It marks a dramatic turnaround for a programme that started SEC play 2-8 with Elzy suspending Edwards for four games only to become the first to knock off this tournament’s top three seeds to win the title. Kentucky is the first No. 7 seed to win with ninth-seeded Auburn in 1997 the only lower seed to ever win this event.

The Wildcats not only snapped South Carolina’s 18-game winning streak this season, they also ended the Gamecocks’ search for a third straight

NO. 3 NC STATE WOMEN TOP MIAMI FOR 3RD STRAIGHT ACC TITLE

By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina State’s players knew the high expectations that awaited even before they had played a minute this season, how nothing short of championships would be acceptable for a veteran team back for a final run together.

So they ended their stay at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament the same way as the past two seasons: frolicking among balloons and confetti that had fallen from the rafters before cutting down climbing steps to snip down the nets.

The top-seeded Wolfpack won a third straight championship yesterday by ending Miami’s upset-filled run in a 60-47 victory, with the preseason favourite completing a dominating run against league opponents this season.

It came from a deep team that returned its top eight scorers from last year, as well as adding talented newcomers, which meant fewer minutes to go around even for top players like Elissa Cunane, Kayla Jones and Jakia Brown-Turner.

Stats went down, but wins

went up to tie a programme single-season record.

“They’ve all sacrificed a little bit,” coach Wes Moore told the crowd afterward.

“But hey, it’s worth it.”

N.C. State (29-3) finished 20-1 against ACC foes this year.

“I think that in a lot of ways it’s more challenging trying to make sure we didn’t read the press clippings and maybe let up and relax,” Moore told reporters, adding that there was a midseason stretch when his veteran players seemed “kind of over me.”

“We get tired of each other sometimes,” said Cunane, the tournament’s most valuable player for the second straight year. “I’ll be honest, I get sick of seeing some people’s faces. But I love everyone on the team with all my heart.”

Cunane had 17 points and eight rebounds despite exiting the game for a second-half stretch with an apparent left-ankle injury.

Raina Perez added 12 points and Diamond Johnson had 11. N.C. State shot just 35% but took control with a 17-4 run, increasing an eight-point margin to 54-33 on consecutive 3-pointers by Johnson to end the third quarter and start the fourth.

UMASS WOMEN WIN A-10 TITLE WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Player of the Year Sam Breen scored 19 points and UMass defeated Dayton 62-56 in the championship game of the Atlantic-10 Conference tournament yesterday to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in two decades.

Breen’s 3-pointer 65 seconds into the game wiped out Dayton’s only lead and started the third-seeded Minutewomen (26-6) to their first A-10 tournament title. When UMass made it to the 1996 and 1998 NCAA Tournaments it was with an at-large bid.

“We preach win the day, and what does that mean?”

UMass coach Tory Verdi said, “That means come to practice, be prepared, do the best they can each and every single day. We won the day and now we won the A-10 championship.”

Ber’Nyah Mayo made four free throws in the last minute to seal the win and finished with 14 points for UMass (26-6). Makennah White and Sydney White both added 10 points.

“Our who goal was to build and bring in good kids to the programme in order to sustain success,” Verdi, in his sixth year, said. “And so from where we were to

where we are now, it’s unbelievable. ... We finally will get the level of respect that we deserve.”

Makira Cook had 18 points for top-seeded the Flyers (25-5), who have seven NCAA appearances, the last in 2018, although they won the A-10 tourney in 2020. Erin Whalen added 13 points. Dayton is considered a bubble team to make the NCAA tournament.

Five players scored in a 10-0 first-quarter run to put UMass in control and with the last seven points of the half it was 37-28 at the break. The lead reached 52-37 late in the third quarter and the Minutewomen took a 52-39 lead into the fourth.

Then it was hold on time.

UMass was just 3 of 10 shooting, missing all five 3-point attempts, and had eight of its 12 turnovers in the fourth quarter. Down 12 after a Mayo layup with four minutes to go — the last field goal for UMass — Dayton charged back. Cook and Whalen hit 3-pointers to cut the deficit to 58-54 with a minute remaining.

Mayo then came through with the key free throws.

UMass lost in the title game last year as a sevenseed, falling by a dozen to fifth-seeded VCU.

SEC tournament title for the regular season champs.

“Hats off to Kentucky,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. “They’re hot. They’re streaking.

We’ve been on both sides, this side and the other side, and super happy for Kyra and her programme and their ability to weather some storms early on and find themselves as our SEC Tournament champions.”

South Carolina (29-2) led 45-30 with 4:45 left in the third quarter seemingly minutes away from cutting down the nets again.

But the Gamecocks didn’t score after Aliyah Boston’s jumper with 5:04 remained that put them up 62-53.

“I didn’t really feel like we took our foot off the gas in the fourth quarter,” Boston said. “I think we were playing, and they just found different ways to score.”

The Wildcats closed the game on an 11-0 run.

Howard lost the ball with no foul called when she went down in the lane with 18.3 seconds left, giving the ball back to South Carolina. Zia Cooke missed both free throws with 16.4

KENTUCKY’s Dre’una Edwards (44) celebrates after making the winning shot to beat South Carolina in the NCAA women’s college basketball Southeastern Conference tournament championship game yesterday in Nashville, Tennessee. Kentucky won 64-62.

(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) seconds left to set up the final sequence.

After Kentucky took the lead, Destanni Henderson threw up the ball from just past mid-court and hit just right of the rim, setting off a wild celebration by Kentucky.

Edwards finished with 27 points, 12 in the fourth quarter with three 3s including the game-winner.

Howard finished with 18 points.

South Carolina should still go into the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. Boston posted her 24th straight doubledouble with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Cooke finished with 15 points.

South Carolina led 21-18 after the first and 30-21 at halftime after holding Kentucky to three points in the second. The Gamecocks were up 55-43 at the end of the third.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Monika Czinano had 30 points and 10 rebounds and Caitlin Clark scored 18 as No. 12 Iowa won its second Big Ten Tournament title in four years by beating No. 14 Indiana 74-67 yesterday.

The league’s regularseason co-champs have won seven straight games to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. It’s the first time Iowa (23-7) has claimed regular season and tourney titles in the same season.

Grace Berger finished with 20 points and Nicole Cardano-Hillary had 19 for Indiana (21-8), which was playing for the fourth straight day.

Eventually, the weariness caught up with Indiana in the closest conference championship game since 2015 — and the first not to feature Maryland since 2014.

The Hoosiers still were within 51-48 after three and continued to fight after giving up four straight points to start the fourth.