Julia Donovan scored five goals and Plymouth State advanced to the Little East Conference women’s lacrosse championship game with an 11-8 win over Southern Maine on Thursday in Danbury, Connecticut.

The second-seeded Panthers (11-6) will play top-seeded and two-time defending LEC champion Western Connecticut State for the conference title on Saturday.

Maddie Hunt and Amelia Thomas both added two goals with an assist for Plymouth State. Margie Black totaled eight saves in goal as her record improved to 9-5.

Julie McKenna and Rachel Shanks scored three each for third-seeded Southern Maine (10-9), while Maddie Kinney and Jillian Nichols had one each. Cece Racine made 13 saves for the Huskies.

SOFTBALL

ENDICOTT SWEPS USM: Endicott (28-7) limited Southern Maine (19-17) to eight hits over two games for a doubleheader sweep by scores of 8-0 and 4-2 on Thursday in Gorham.

Lindsay Joubert and Chloe Shapleigh each had three RBI for Endicott in the first game, with Emma DaSilva adding two more. Shapleigh added another RBI in game two while Raven Comtois and Lauren Misiaszek each added RBI singles.

BASEBALL

ALABAMA COACH FIRED: Alabama fired Coach Brad Bohannon on Thursday after a report of suspicious bets involving his team, with the school saying he violated “the standards, duties and responsibilities expected of university employees.”

No details were disclosed on why Bohannon was let go after five years on the job, but the firing came three days after a report warning of suspicious wagers prompted Ohio’s top gambling regulator to bar licensed sportsbooks in the state from accepting bets on Alabama baseball games. Pennsylvania and New Jersey have since followed suit.

Alabama said Athletic Director Greg Byrne had initiated the process of firing Bohannon and that pitching coach Jason Jackson will serve as interim head coach, beginning with Thursday night’s home game against Vanderbilt.

The firing comes nearly five years to the day since the Supreme Court cleared the way for states to legalize betting on sports. Sports betting is currently legal in 33 states, with billions wagered every year.

The NCAA bars athletes and athletic employees from betting on games “and from providing information to individuals involved in or associated with any type of sports wagering activities concerning intercollegiate, amateur or professional athletics competition.” The NCAA said Thursday it was committed to protecting athletes and the “integrity of competition” and is monitoring the case.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

TRANSFER: All-American forward Hunter Dickinson, arguably the top player in the transfer portal after deciding to leave Michigan, said in a social media post Thursday that he was headed to Kansas for the upcoming season.

Dickinson chose the Jayhawks after visits to Villanova, Kentucky, Maryland and Georgetown.

The 7-foot-1 center led the Wolverines to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a trip to the Elite Eight as a freshman during the 2020-21 season. Dickinson averaged 18.6 points in helping them reach the Sweet 16 two years ago and 18.5 points and a career-best 9.0 rebounds last season, when he was voted an honorable mention All-American.