Team USA star Jordan Chiles and UCLA will compete for an NCAA title today after advancing out of their semifinal session at the NCAA gymnastics championships in Fort Worth, Texas, late Thursday night.

Chiles, who was part of the U.S. team that won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, helped propel the Bruins ahead of No. 1 seed and defending NCAA champion LSU, which failed to advance in the second semifinal session at Dickies Arena.

Chiles finished fifth in the individual all-around competition, but she will still leave Fort Worth with an NCAA title.

The Olympic gold medalist nailed her dismount on uneven bars en route to a near-perfect score of 9.975, appearing somewhere between shocked and emotional after her feet hit the mat. The routine put her atop the leaderboard, ahead of her 2021 U.S. Olympic teammate Grace McCallum, who finished second.

It’s Chiles’ third NCAA apparatus title. She also won NCAA championships on uneven bars and floor exercise in 2023.

UCLA’s Brooklyn Moors won her first NCAA title in floor exercise with a 9.9625.

UCLA will be joined in the finals by Utah, Missouri and Oklahoma, which has won five of the past eight national championships.

GOLF

Yan Liu birdied the final three holes in chilly conditions Thursday afternoon for a 9-under 63 and a share of the first-round lead with Ashleigh Buhai in the LPGA Tour’s JM Eagle LA Championship.

Justin Thomas made a pair of birdies on the crusty, breezy back nine at Harbour Town to salvage a 2-under 69 for a two-shot lead Friday at the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage, his first 36-hole lead in more than four years.

Thomas is winless since the 2022 PGA Championship and is weary of the topic. He also knows there’s a long way to go on a Hilton Head Island, S.C., course that demands precision while allowing a low score.

Si Woo Kim had one of those low scores, a blistering start that had him at 8 under through 12 holes until he settled for a 64. He was two shots behind, along with Russell Henley (68).

Six players were within four shots of the lead, a group that includes defending champion Scottie Scheffler, who didn’t have much go right in his round of 70.

NBA

Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard is off blood-thinning medication and has been cleared for full basketball activity, a major step forward in his return from the deep vein thrombosis that has kept him out for the last month.

The Bucks still aren’t indicating exactly when the seven-time all-NBA performer might play again, though he has been ruled out for their first playoff game. The Bucks are seeded fifth in the Eastern Conference and open the playoffs today at Indiana against the fourth-seeded Pacers.

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

The United States cruised past Germany 3-0 to reach the semifinals at the women’s ice hockey world championship in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.

Kelly Pannek, Lacey Eden and Alex Carpenter each scored and captain Hilary Knight registered an assist to extend her record at the worlds to 51. Aerin Frankel made 12 saves in the shutout.

Later, Jennifer Gardiner and Sarah Fillier both scored twice and Canada grabbed a spot in the semifinals by routing Japan 9-1.

Canada will play Finland for a spot in the final, and the United States will meet host Czech Republic in today’s other last-four matchup.

The U.S. has reached the final in all 23 previous worlds and won 10 titles.

TENNIS

Ben Shelton advanced to his second clay-court semifinals by beating Luciano Darderi 6-4, 6-3 at the BMW Open in Munich.

Shelton, the No. 2 seed, next faces Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo for a spot in the final. The fifth-seeded Cerundolo moved into the last four by defeating David Goffin 6-2, 6-4.

In reaching his ninth tour-level semifinal, Shelton ended Darderi’s career-best winning streak at seven matches, which included the Marrakech title.

Top-seeded Alexander Zverev rallied to beat Tallon Griekspoor 6-7 (6), 7-6 (3), 6-4. The third-ranked Zverev will face Fabian Marozsan or Zizou Bergs in the semifinals.

Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz earned his season-best eighth straight win after beating Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-3 in the Barcelona Open quarterfinals.

Coming off his first Monte Carlo Masters title, Alcaraz’s next obstacle to a third Barcelona title was Arthur Fils.

Fils reached his first semifinal of the year when four-time Barcelona finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas retired after losing the first two games. The injury was unspecified but Fils suspected it was Tsisipas’ back.

Fils is at a career-high 13th ranking and could crack the top-10 for the first time if he wins the tournament.

Making the final would be enough for Holger Rune, at 11th, to return to the top 10.

His chances improved after he ousted defending champ Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-2. Ruud didn’t help himself with 29 unforced errors.

Rune will face Karen Khachanov, who defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4, 7-5 from 5-2 down in the last set.

MISCELLANY

Alexander Straus, currently at FC Bayern Munich, will take over as the new coach for the Angel City Football Club, the team announced. Straus, who takes over June 1, will replace Sam Laity, who led the club to an unbeaten start through four games after taking over in the preseason. Laity will take on a new role as senior assistant coach.

— Damian Calhoun

A 3-year-old filly who won her only two races died from a training injury at Los Alamitos Race Course, state horse racing officials reported.

Non Compliant “sustained an injury while galloping early this morning,” California Horse Racing Board spokesman Mike Marten told City News Service.