Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson (65) celebrates with Michael Bunting (8) and Rickard Rakell (67) after scoring a goal against the New Jersey Devils during the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby each scored twice in Pittsburgh’s five-goal third period and the Penguins kept their playoff hopes alive, rallying for a 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. The Devils led 3-1 after two periods on goals by Timo Meier, Curtis Lazar and Jesper Bratt. Crosby and Malkin scored 67 seconds apart early in the third to tie the score. Rickard Rakell then put Pittsburgh ahead with 3:44 to play before Malkin scored again 21 seconds later. Crosby added an empty-net goal. Alex Nedeljkovic had 23 saves for the win.

Iowa guard Caitlin Clark (22) signs autographs for fans after Iowa defeated LSU in an Elite Eight round college basketball game during the NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

There were plenty of people at a movie theater in central Iowa on Monday night, though very few of them were watching an actual movie.

They were there to see Caitlin Clark.

And they weren’t alone. Not even close. Millions of people — the preliminary viewing numbers are expected sometime Tuesday — tuned in across America to watch a doubleheader of women’s basketball that captivated fans like perhaps never before. Clark and Iowa, in a national-title-game rematch against Angel Reese and LSU in one game; Paige Bueckers and perennial power UConn against freshman sensation JuJu Watkins and Southern California in the other.

The winners on the scoreboard: Iowa and UConn, which are heading to the Final Four in Cleveland this weekend. Perhaps the biggest winner: the women’s game, which had the NCAA Tournament stage all to itself on Monday night with massive star power delivering two games worthy of the over-the-top billing, and maybe, just maybe, adding a few new fans along the way.

“It’s a perfect opportunity to make the moment a movement,” said former Division I guard Isis Young, now a broadcaster and analyst. “Right now, women’s basketball is a movement … and the movement is really riding on the back of these players that we’re watching.”

And make no mistake: People were watching.

Baseball had a no-hitter on Monday night; Ronel Blanco’s gem for Houston against Toronto didn’t seem to capture attention the way Iowa-LSU and UConn-USC did. Phoenix’s Devin Booker scored 52 points, his league-high-tying third game of 50 or more this season; it happened while fellow NBA guards Damian Lillard and Patrick Beverley were tweeting about Watkins and Clark.

“Caitlin Clark the truth,” offered New York Knicks forward Josh Hart.

In homes, in sports bars from Seattle to Miami, even in NBA locker rooms, the women’s games Monday night had people staring at televisions. At a sports bar in Indianapolis, where the NBA’s Pacers were simultaneously playing maybe a block or so away, most TVs were on Iowa-LSU. Indiana’s WNBA team has the No. 1 pick in the draft this year. There’s no mystery about who it will select; the city knows Clark will soon be calling Indianapolis home.

“Not only did we have all the TVs on the game, we had them with the sound on, too,” said Clara Husson, a longtime basketball referee in New England. She missed her morning flight from Indianapolis to Boston after a weekend wedding and was given two options for a rescheduling opportunity — Monday night or Tuesday morning.

She chose Tuesday. Easy call. “I wasn’t missing these games,” she said.

This was not just another night for women’s basketball. The buzz built throughout the day. Rapper Travis Scott told his nearly 12 million followers on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, that Monday “might be one for the illest days in women’s sports historyyyyyyy.” And Hall of Famer Magic Johnson let his 5.2 million followers know he considered Monday’s two-game slate “one of the best in history.”

The games didn’t disappoint. Bettors took notice, too — even a 4:15 p.m. start time in Las Vegas didn’t keep LSU-Iowa from setting records, a surefire gauge of whether people had interest.

“It is the biggest handle we’ve seen for a women’s game,” Jay Kornegay, executive vice president of race and sports operations at Westgate Las Vegas, said shortly before tipoff. “It’s already surpassed last year’s final with these two teams.”

Had the game been later in the day, Kornegay said, the numbers would have been even bigger.

South Carolina and North Carolina State reached the Final Four with wins on Sunday, a day when the women’s game was going head to head with men’s tournament games. Monday’s slate from an NCAA tourney perspective was all women, two games both featuring star players, not to mention a rematch of last year’s Iowa-LSU championship game that smashed records by drawing nearly 10 million viewers.

It was a perfect storm. Even in defeat, Reese understood the magnitude of the moment.

“I think it’s just great for the sport, just being able to be a part of history,” Reese said Monday night. “Like I said, no matter which way it went tonight, I know this was going to be a night for the ages. And just being able to be a part of history is great.”

Clark is the biggest name in the college game; she set the NCAA all-time scoring record earlier this season and has become a full-fledged celebrity, starring in national commercials and commanding media attention like no one else. After the Boston Celtics beat the Charlotte Hornets on Monday, they tuned in for the end of the Iowa-LSU game.

“Caitlin Clark is stealing the show of basketball,” Celtics forward Sam Hauser said.

To Zoe Pawloski, Clark was just someone to share the weight room with. Pawloski used to swim for Iowa and her team would lift at the same time Clark’s team would work out.

“I never sat down and watched March Madness on TV until Caitlin Clark,” said Pawloski, who watched the game with a few dozen other Iowa fans in a bar in Council Bluffs, Iowa. “It’s really cool how much she’s grown basketball, and people knowing Iowa the school makes me really happy. Iowa is on the map.”

Not a lot of people were at the movies in Waukee, Iowa, on Monday night. There probably won’t be a lot of moviegoers there on Friday, either — that’s when the women’s Final Four starts.

At The Palms Theater in Waukee, about 200 people showed up to watch Clark play on a 75-foot screen. It was a private party put together by Dowling Catholic High School, her alma mater. And let’s just say the game was far more popular than the movies on other screens.

“Not even close,” said Alison Meyer, the theater’s general manager. “Nope, nope, nope. It’s pretty big-time when you have an Iowa team playing, let alone somebody from our hometown.”

The games didn’t disappoint. The stars didn’t disappoint, either. Clark had 41 points and 12 assists, plus she tied a tournament record with nine 3-pointers. Reese had 17 points and 20 rebounds. Bueckers had 28 points and 10 rebounds. Watkins had 29 points and 10 rebounds.

“It’s been a great ride,” Watkins said.

And for the game, it was a great night.

___

AP Sports Writers Eric Olson in Council Bluffs, Iowa; Steve Reed in Charlotte, North Carolina; and Mark Anderson in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

Pittsburgh Pirates’ Henry Davis celebrates his double during the sixth inning of an opening-day baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates are 5-0 for the first time since 1983. They beat the Washington Nationals 8-4 on Monday with two run-scoring hits from Connor Joe, including a tiebreaking RBI double in the eighth inning. Michael A. Taylor, a former member of the Nationals, had three hits, and Bryan Reynolds, Andrew McCutchen, Alika Williams and Henry Davis delivered two apiece. Reynolds stretched his on-base streak to 33 consecutive games dating to last season and tacked on a two-run double in the ninth. Pittsburgh remained unbeaten in 2024, all on the road, following a four-game sweep at Miami to begin the season. Washington’s Riley Adams made it 3-all with a two-run homer in the seventh.

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedelkovic makes a save during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers on Monday, April 1, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Peter K. Afriyie)

NEW YORK (AP) — Sidney Crosby had two goals and an assist and Alex Nedeljkovic made 28 saves as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat New York 5-2, snapping the Rangers’ five-game winning streak. Bryan Rust also scored twice and Emil Bemstrom added a goal for Pittsburgh, which ended a four-game losing streak in New York and improved to 14-9-3 in its last 26 games against Rangers. The Penguins lost both previous games this season at home against the first-place Rangers and were making their lone appearance at Madison Square Garden. Kaapo Kakko and Jack Roslovic scored goals for the Rangers, and Igor Shesterkin finished with 16 saves.

FILE – This is the front grill of a 2020 KIA Telluride on display at the 2020 Pittsburgh International Auto Show, Feb.13, 2020 in Pittsburgh. Kia is recalling more than 427,000 of its Telluride SUVs due to a defect that may cause the cars to roll away while they’re parked. According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft of certain 2020-2024 Tellurides may not be fully engaged. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar. file)

NEW YORK (AP) — Kia is recalling more than 427,000 of its Telluride SUVs due to a defect that may cause the cars to roll away while they’re parked. According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft of certain 2020-2024 Tellurides may not be fully engaged. Over time, this can lead to “unintended vehicle movement” while the cars are in park — increasing potential crash risks. To remedy this issue, dealers will update the affected cars’ electronic parking brake software and replace any damaged intermediate shafts for free. Owners who already incurred repair expenses will also be reimbursed. In the meantime, drivers of the impacted Tellurides are instructed to manually engage the emergency break before exiting the vehicle.

Pittsburgh Pirates’ Oneil Cruz is congratulated by teammates after he scored against the Miami Marlins during the 10th inning of a baseball game Sunday, March 31, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rhona Wise)

MIAMI (AP) — Oneil Cruz raced home on Jason Delay’s bunt in the 10th inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Miami Marlins 9-7 for a four-game sweep of their season-opening series. Cruz opened the 10th on second as a pinch runner for Rowdy Tellez. He advanced to third when reliever Tanner Scott committed an error on Alika Williams’ sacrifice attempt. Delay then sent another bunt toward first and Cruz beat first baseman Jake Burger’s throw to the plate. Ke’Bryan Hayes reached on a two-out infield single and Michael A. Taylor gave Pittsburgh a 9-7 lead with a bases-loaded walk.

Pittsburgh Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin (71) celebrates his first of two goals against the Columbus Blue Jackets with Sidney Crosby, second from left, Michael Bunting (8), Kris Letang (58), and Bryan Rust (17) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, March 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Evgeni Malkin scored twice to reach the 20-goal plateau for the 15th time and the Pittsburgh Penguins continued their mastery over the Columbus Blue Jackets with a 3-2 win. The Russian became the 31st player in league history to reach 20 goals in 15 seasons. Malkin did it with a pair of power-play blasts — one from the right circle, one from the left circle — that erased one-goal deficits. Sidney Crosby had two assists for Pittsburgh to increase his career total to 995. That’s 11th on the NHL’s all-time list. Mathieu Olivier and Cole Sillinger scored for Columbus.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Luis Ortiz reacts as he finishes the 11th inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Miami. The Pirates beat the Marlins 6-5, in 12 innings. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

MIAMI (AP) — Jared Triolo hit an RBI single in the top of the 12th inning to finish the Pittsburgh Pirates’ rally and beat the Miami Marlins 6-5 on opening day. Triolo’s line drive single against Marlins reliever Declan Cronin scored automatic runner Ke’Bryan Hayes. Pirates reliever Jose Hernandez got the save, retiring 2023 NL batting champion Luis Arraez, Josh Bell and Bryan De La Cruz in his only inning of relief. Luis Ortiz recorded the win for the Pirates on Thursday. After Pirates starter Mitch Keller gave up seven hits over 5 2/3 innings, Pittsburgh’s bullpen held the Marlins to just one hit.

FILE – Carolina Panthers defensive end Nick Thurman (91) tackles Atlanta Falcons running back Cordarrelle Patterson (84) during an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Charlotte, N.C. A source with knowledge of the deal told the Associated Press that Patterson has signed a two-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The source spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal wasn’t announced, Tuesday, March 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman, File)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing veteran running back/kickoff return specialist Cordarrelle Patterson to a two-year deal. The contract carries a total value of $6 million a source with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because it had not been announced. The versatile 33-year-old Patterson spent the past three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. A four-time All-Pro, Patterson gives the Steelers a veteran to help them adjust to the league’s new kickoff rules designed to produce more returns.