Happy Monday!

It’s certainly a joyous one for the Bucknell student who just became $10K richer after former MLB star and Minnesota Lynx and Timberwolves majority owner Alex Rodriguez hit a half-court shot yesterday, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

• Consider that a sign to shoot your shot as we start the new week with, what else, more sports news.

🎓 No. 13 NC State women stun No. 1 Notre Dame 104–95 in double-overtime thriller

Yesterday’s back-and-forth affair featured 21 (!!!) lead changes, but ended with the Wolfpack officially snapping ND’s 19-game win streak. All five NC State starters hit double-digit points, including a career-high 33-point masterpiece from sophomore Zoe Brooks, the perfect complement to superstar senior Aziaha James’ highlight reel–worthy heroics.

• And the men’s hardwood was just as dramatic this weekend with seven unranked squads upsetting top-25 opponents, none more lopsided than Villanova’s 81–66 Friday squashing of No. 15 Marquette. Why is February so short? To make room for March.

🔮 Washington Mystics trade Ariel Atkins to Chicago Sky for No. 3 pick in April’s Draft

The Mystics have officially entered their rebuild era after dealing two-time All-Star Atkins — the final player remaining from their 2019 championship squad — to the Sky yesterday. The Sky pick up an elite defender who will fit perfectly into their rotation, while the Mystics now own three first-round picks (No. 3, No. 4, and No. 6) in this year’s draft.

❤️‍🩹 San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich not expected to return this season

One of the NBA’s most beloved bench bosses, Popovich hasn’t coached since suffering a mild stroke in November — and a recent report indicates the Spurs won’t see the winningest coach in league history on the sidelines again this season as he continues to rehab.

• The 76-year-old’s future at the helm of the Spurs, a team he’s led for nearly three decades, remains uncertain.
• This is the second major blow for San Antonio after they lost French phenom Victor Wembanyama for the remainder of the season as he was diagnosed with blood clots in his shoulder last week.

💅 Rose BC’s Angel Reese posts first-ever 20-point, 20-rebound performance in Unrivaled history

Reese tallied 22 points and 21 rebounds in her squad’s 72–63 Friday win over Lunar Owls BC, and the historic moment smelled even sweeter as the Rose handed the top-ranked Owls their first loss of the season.

• Excluding tonight, there are only two weekends of regular-season action left, so expect plenty of jostling as the league’s other five teams vie for playoff berths with the Owls having already clinched one of four available spots. Spicy.

🇺🇸⚽ No. 1 USWNT forward Lynn Biyendolo (née Williams) scored just 42 seconds into yesterday’s 2–1 SheBelieves Cup win over No. 15 Australia, but it was newcomer forward Michelle Cooper who netted what would stand as the game winner in the 68th minute.

• Now all the Americans need to do to win their sixth consecutive SheBelieves Cup is top No. 8 Japan on Wednesday. Bring it on.

🏒 It took three periods, one five-minute overtime, and a shootout for the Boston Fleet to secure a dub over the NY Sirens in yesterday’s PWHL Takeover Tour tilt in Buffalo. Women’s hockey is the greatest show on earth.

🎿 Already the most decorated skier of all time, American phenom Mikaela Shiffrin earned a historic 100th World Cup race win yesterday, just two and a half months after a serious injury.

⚾ Put that razor down because the NY Yankees finally reversed their antiquated, nearly 50-year facial hair policy on Friday, permitting players to don “well-groomed beards.”

🏐 Team Shondell swept the Pro Volleyball Federation’s (PVF) inaugural, sellout All-Star Match on Saturday, taking down Team Collier in straight sets thanks, in part, to an enormous performance from outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller. A history-worthy showing.

🏎️ Williams’ Carlos Sainz is the newest director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) — aka the Formula 1 drivers’ union — replacing retired four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel.

🏒 More than 16M people watched Canada top Team USA 3–2 in overtime during last Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-Off final, and with 9.3M viewers in the U.S. alone, it was the most-watched NHL sanctioned game in the States since 1995. Hockey…so hot right now.