MINNEAPOLIS -- Gersson Rosas has firsthand experience with success from unconventional strategy from his 17-year run with the Houston Rockets.

An outside-the-box approach might be necessary if the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to catch up in the cutthroat Western Conference.

"We're going to question the norm with everything that we do," Rosas said.

The first Latino to lead an NBA front office has landed with a 30-year-old franchise defined by bad-luck setbacks and self-induced dysfunction as much as any accomplishments on the court. The hiring of Rosas as president of basketball operations was greenlighted by Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor as the remedy to one of the latest backfires, the hiring of Tom Thibodeau three years ago for the dual role of president and coach.

As Taylor and chief executive officer Ethan Casson narrowed their search, they couldn't help but notice Rosas appeared as confident and eager about joining them as they were about offering the job to him. The Timberwolves used an outside search firm to hire Thibodeau. This time, Casson directed an interview process that included several members of the organization from various levels and departments.

"I wanted someone that could work with the entire staff," Taylor said. "Not only the players, but the whole organization. Somebody that felt like they were part of the team and knew what teamwork meant."

The Timberwolves averaged the third-smallest crowd in the league last season, an announced figure of 15,305 fans per game, while missing the playoffs after a spirited postseason return in 2018 that ended a 13-year absence. The midsize market of the Twin Cities is as crowded as ever for attention and revenue. There's just as steep of a climb facing the business side, then, as the basketball operations.

One of the reasons Rosas stood out among the four finalists -- Chauncey Billups, Trajan Langdon and Calvin Booth were the others -- was his holistic vision of a collaborative and innovative culture. During the Thibodeau era, the environment was more fractured than not.

"The organizations that have figured that out, and we hope to be one of them, I think will in fact not just win, but win at a high level," Casson said.

Rosas briefly left the Rockets in 2013 to become the general manager of the Dallas Mavericks only to return because he decided the fit was not ideal. This time, with his wife, Susana, and 3-year-old fraternal twins, Giana and Grayson, in tow, the opportunity felt right.

"When the resources are in place, this is a great market not only for the organization and the players, but for my family," said Rosas, who was introduced at a news conference in the Target Center lobby on Monday. He added: "Not only were they interviewing me, but I was interviewing them. And as I've talked to different organizations in this league, they stood out."

Rosas moved with his family from Bogota, Colombia, to Houston, where learned to love basketball in high school and began coaching after college. He started with the Rockets as an intern, immersed himself in the scouting world and worked his way up to executive vice president of basketball operations, the title he largely held for the past seven seasons.

"He's been way overqualified for his job for a while here," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said. "He's more than earned his shot, although I wish he would've gone East. We're going to have an extremely tough competitor in the West."

The first order of business for Rosas will be to determine whether Ryan Saunders, whom Taylor has wholeheartedly endorsed, will remain as coach. General manager Scott Layden, who also added responsibility when Thibodeau was fired on Jan. 6, has been in limbo, too. Rosas said there were no preconditions established by Taylor about their status.

Rosas credited Thibodeau for leaving behind a competitive roster, a team led by center Karl-Anthony Towns with plenty of young talent and unrealized potential. The greatest immediate challenge to improvement, beyond the competition in the West, will be the salary cap. Maximum contracts for Towns and enigmatic sidekick Andrew Wiggins have helped push the Timberwolves close to the luxury tax threshold.

The most practical changes, then, could first come in the playbook. The MIT-educated Morey led a data-driven overhaul of the Rockets more than a decade ago, with current coach Mike D'Antoni more recently steering the innovation on the court in the pace-and-space era of the NBA. The Rockets have led the league in 3-point attempts for three straight seasons, with the Wolves ranking 26th this season after finishing last in each of the previous two years.

"We want to be strategic, and we want to play to our strengths," Rosas said. "A lot of it has to do with the players we have on our roster and how we can operate out of that, but I think you're going to see a lot of similarities with how the modern game is being played."

BOSTON -- Celtics fans roared with delight when Giannis Antetokounmpo bumped Marcus Morris, causing a referee to blow his whistle. Just eight minutes into the third quarter Monday night, Antetokounmpo had picked up his fourth foul. Khris Middleton followed shortly after, crashing into Kyrie Irving.

In came George Hill and Pat Connaughton to replace the Milwaukee Bucks' two All-Stars. Two minutes later, Eric Bledsoe, who also had four fouls, checked out and took his place next to Antetokounmpo and Middleton on the bench.

The crowd inside TD Garden, where Milwaukee lost to Boston four times in the playoffs last season, was deafening. Marcus Smart, Boston's emotional leader, was back. The Celtics, trailing 2-1 in this best-of-seven series, were desperate.

"If we're honest, you see Giannis and Khris go to the bench, you're concerned," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said.

All of this, all at once, left the Bucks facing the one question that had hung over them all season long: When Antetokounmpo, the likely MVP, has been neutralized, can the Bucks survive?

Then the Bucks proceeded to answer that question affirmatively -- and in the most emphatic way possible. With Milwaukee stars sitting with foul trouble, the Bucks -- led by Hill -- went on a 17-7 run to end the third quarter. They gained a lead they would never relinquish and went on to beat the Celtics 113-101. The Bucks now lead the Eastern Conference semifinal 3-1.

"Some nights the starters might not have it going," Connaughton said. "The effort and the energy when we check into the game. That's something George, me, everybody on the bench prides ourselves in. That is the 'Bench Mob.'"

To understand the significance of that run, one must understand that third quarters have been big this series. The third quarters have been so big, they've dictated who wins every game. The Celtics outscored the Bucks by 15 points in Game 1. The Celtics won that game. Milwaukee outscored Boston by 21 in the third quarter of Game 2 and went on to win. The Bucks bested the Celtics by nine points in the third quarter in Game 3. Who won that game? The Bucks.

But all of that was with Antetokounmpo or Middleton playing at least eight minutes. On Monday, they sat watching. The Bucks have maintained all season long that their depth is a key factor, but the timing was not ideal.

"Whoever we have on the floor, it's not like, 'Oh damn, we're stuck with these guys,'" Lopez said.

When Bledsoe sat in the third quarter of Game 4, the Celtics led by two. Hill scored 9 of his 15 point in the third. Not only did the Bucks guards find ways to score, they limited Irving to just five points -- all from the free throw line.

From the bench, Middleton leaned over to Malcolm Brogdon and said, "This is a great spot to be in."

"I mean we are on the road and playing in a hostile environment," Middleton said after the game, recalling the conversation. "Most of our starters are in foul trouble and we're still in this game. It's still a winnable game."

Budenholzer said he contemplated bringing Antetokounmpo and Middleton back earlier to end the third quarter. Instead, because the bench was building the Bucks' lead, he sat them for longer. At the end of the quarter, the Bucks led 80-72.

It isn't the first game in the series that Milwaukee has leaned on its bench. In Game 3, the Bucks got a heavy offensive boost from Connaughton and Hill. Hill scored 21 points in that game, helping the Bucks to get offensive rhythm on a night that Bledsoe struggled to make shots. Connaughton had 14 points.

"They've been the difference-maker in this series," Antetokounmpo said. "It's great to have guys who can step up like that from the bench."

For the Celtics to win this series now, they would have to beat the Bucks in three straight games. Milwaukee has not lost three consecutive games this season.

BOSTON -- As the final seconds ticked off the clock at TD Garden on Monday night, Kyrie Irving marched off the court well ahead of his Celtics teammates. He got off the court and down the long hallway outside of Boston's home locker room so fast that by the time he ducked in the door and disappeared from view, none of his teammates had even reached it.

It's understandable why Irving would want to leave the court so quickly. The past three games of this Eastern Conference semifinal -- including Games 3 and 4 at home -- have been ones for him to forget.

And after his latest dud Monday night -- going 7-for-22 while scoring 23 points in Boston's 113-101 Game 4 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks -- the Celtics find themselves on the brink of going home for the summer.

"I missed shots," Irving said. "Shots just didn't go in. You go out and prepare, like I said. Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don't.

"They do a great job of loading, too. They're making the paint look crowded whenever I'm driving or wherever I'm going on the court, seeing two or three bodies, sometimes four.

"Now it's time to get ready for Game 5."

Over the past three games, Irving has gone 19-for-62 (31 percent) from the field. Those 43 missed field goal attempts are the most Irving has ever missed over a three-game stretch in the playoffs, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

Not surprisingly, Boston's fortunes have cratered along with Irving's faulty jumper. The Celtics went from winning Game 1 in convincing fashion to take home court in this series -- and, in doing so, seemingly exposed every Bucks flaw observers around the league had been wondering if someone would exploit in the playoffs all season -- to dropping the past three in a row to find themselves, shockingly, on the brink of elimination.

Irving, though, remained defiant afterward that his shot, eventually, would start falling.

"Who cares?" Irving said in response to a question about his shooting woes. "I'm a basketball player. Prepare the right way. Like I said, it's a little different when your rhythm is challenged every play down. You're being picked up full court. They're doing things to test you.

"The expectations on me are going to be sky-high. I try to utilize their aggression against them and still put my teammates in great position while still being aggressive. I'm trying to do it all.

"For me, the 22 shots? I should have shot 30. I'm that great of a shooter."

He certainly wasn't Monday. Then again, neither were his teammates. The Celtics combined to shoot 37.8 percent from the floor and 9-for-41 (22 percent) from 3-point range. On uncontested jumpers, the Celtics were 14-for-39 overall, and they were 6-for-26 from 3-point range -- while Irving himself was 1-for-7 and 0-for-4, respectively.

The Celtics were aggressive early in the game attacking the basket -- getting away from the steady diet of jump shots that doomed them in Game 3 and scoring 44 points in the paint after putting up just 24 in Game 3. They even managed to get both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton -- Milwaukee's two All-Stars -- to pick up their fourth fouls midway through the third quarter, seemingly giving Boston a chance to take control of the game.

Instead, the Celtics allowed the Bucks to outscore them 22-13 over the final 8:18 of the third while Antetokounmpo watched from the bench with four fouls to all but put the game away. Although Boston made a couple of runs in the fourth to make things interesting, at one point pulling back within five, the Celtics never seriously threatened again.

"I'm sorry to say it, but our offense is dictating our defense," Marcus Morris said. "We're not making shots. We're not getting back.

"I feel like we've been pretty soft a little bit."

The Celtics will be hoping that changes Wednesday, when they return to Milwaukee with a daunting task in front of them: having to win three straight games against a team that has yet to lose three games in a row all season.

It is a scenario Irving has been in before -- when he was playing alongside LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, and he and the Cavaliers came back from down 3-1 against the defending champion Golden State Warriors to win the NBA title.

Irving, of course, hit the game-winning shot in Game 7 of that series. And, despite his own play, and that of his teammates, being not nearly good enough through the past three games, he said he remains confident that the Celtics have what it takes to turn this series around.

"It's unwavering," he said, when asked where his confidence level in the Celtics stands at this point. "It's the game of basketball. At this point, we obviously understand the X's and O's. It's just going out and trying to manage the game better."

If the Celtics fail to do so Wednesday, Boston's season will end in Milwaukee -- and, with it, so could Irving's time with the Celtics. He is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and that long walk down the hallway Monday night could've been the final time Irving makes it as a Celtic if he chooses to head elsewhere come July.

Irving was asked, as he walked off the court and down that hallway, what was going through his mind.

"The game was over," Irving said.

Washington Nationals catcher Yan Gomes and outfielder Andrew Stevenson both left Monday night's game against the Milwaukee Brewers with injuries.

Gomes, who has two homers and 10 RBIs this season, exited with a left forearm contusion. Gomes' left arm was hit by a pitch from Brewers' starter Jhoulys Chacin in the first inning.

Stevenson left the game with back spasms in the fourth inning.

Due to mechanical issues with the Nationals' charter plane in Philadelphia on Sunday, the team didn't arrive in Milwaukee until just after 12:30 p.m. ET on Monday, about seven hours before first pitch.

CLEVELAND -- Trevor Bauer tweeted a playful message to Tim Anderson earlier Monday. Anderson replied in kind, then chased the All-Star pitcher after his worst start this season.

Anderson hit a two-run single in the sixth inning that ended Bauer's evening as the Chicago White Sox routed the Cleveland Indians 9-1 Monday night and stopped a three-game losing streak. Yoan Moncada also had a two-run homer and four RBIs off the right-hander.

Bauer (4-2) matched his career highs by allowing eight runs and seven earned runs in five-plus innings, raising his ERA from 2.45 to 3.42. Chicago ended his streak of starts allowing four earned runs or fewer at 60, the second-longest run since 1970 behind Greg Maddux's 106 from 1991 to 1994.

"This was one of those nights where everything went their way," Bauer said. "They hit some really bad pitches really hard, and they hit some really good pitches really hard. And then, even balls they miss-hit were hits. Just one of those nights, I guess."

Before the game, Bauer reached out to Anderson on Twitter, writing:

Hey @TimAnderson7 I'm all in on the bat flips man but if you could skip a day today that would be great. Even the lord took a day of rest. ???? thanks my dude

— Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) May 6, 2019

Anderson flipped his bat after homering against Kansas City on April 17. Brad Keller hit him with a pitch in his next at-bat, prompting benches to clear.

"I don't know him, but what I do know is I hope that we don't see a ton of that bat-flipping these next four days," Indians manager Terry Francona said.

There was no bat-flipping after Moncada homered in the first and James McCann hit a solo shot in the fourth. Leury Garcia had three singles in three at-bats against Bauer, and Anderson had two hits and is batting .339 with an MLB-leading 12 stolen bases.

"He's got such good stuff and so many weapons, you don't want to get to two strikes," McCann said. "The plan was getting our pitch and not miss it, and not allow ourselves to get into two-strike counts that he wants to."

Ivan Nova (1-3) went seven innings, allowing one run and eight hits, for his first win with the White Sox. He was 0-3 in eight starts since his last win on Sept. 21 with Pittsburgh against Milwaukee.

Two of the best pitchers in the world started on Monday. Not against each other, but I was intrigued to see how Blake Snell and Trevor Bauer would fare, with Snell the reigning Cy Young champ and Bauer one of the top contenders going after his throne.

As Snell could have said after his outing: "Not today."

Against a Diamondbacks team that had just scored 27 runs over the weekend in Colorado and ranked fourth in the majors in runs per game, Snell took a perfect game into the sixth inning and finished with just one hit allowed and nine K's in six scoreless innings in a 12-1 victory for the Rays.

My favorite pitch came with one out in the fifth inning, the perfect game still intact and a 3-2 count on Christian Walker. Do you go after him with a fastball or throw an offspeed pitch and risk ruining the perfect game with a walk? Snell threw a hook and Walker simply looked at it and walked away.

A few of Snell's other pitches:

.@snellzilla4 just had that look tonight. #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/TkuzXGkruh

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 7, 2019

Bauer, meanwhile, who entered the game with a 4-1 record and 2.45 ERA, was facing a mediocre White Sox team at home. Before the game, he and Chicago's Tim Anderson had a fun Twitter exchange, with Anderson saying his career numbers were so bad against Bauer that he would flip his bat if he hit a home run off him. Bauer actually took that in good humor and told Anderson he would appreciate it if he would skip a day.

Anderson didn't get him, but Yoan Moncada did in the top of the first:

Yo diggity, Yo doubt. pic.twitter.com/UZK96vwplm

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 6, 2019

James McCann added another home run as the White Sox put up eight runs (seven earned) on Bauer in five innings, raising his ERA to 3.42.

Bauer's season has been a little all over the place as he's had two six-walk games (although he won both of those starts with a combined one run allowed). Batters are hitting just .201 off him, but he's now had two 10-hit games.

Snell, however, also had one blow-up game -- his last start, allowing seven runs in three innings against the Royals -- so his ERA is at 3.62, plus he had a stint on the IL with a fractured toe. But I like his peripherals better than Bauer's:

Snell: .205 BA, 35.2% SO rate, 6.3% BB rate, 87.1 exit velo
Bauer: .201 BA, 29.0% SO rate, 11.2% BB rate, 92.3 exit velo

For now, I still have it as Snell over Bauer. Unlike that other game of thrones, however, we have a lot more episodes to go in this one.

The Twins may have an ace: The Twins cruised in Toronto, steamrolling Marcus Stroman and the Blue Jays 8-0. The line for Twins starter Martin Perez: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 SO, 102 pitches. He's now 5-0 with a 2.83 ERA and has spun back-to-back scoreless outings, his previous one eight innings against the Astros.

Side note: Perez was 2-7 with a 6.22 ERA last year for the Rangers. Among 173 pitchers with at least 80 innings, Perez ranked 171st in ERA. (The two below him were also Rangers. It was not a good season for Texas pitching). He ranked next-to-last in strikeout rate. He ranked last in batting average allowed. Basically, he was about as bad as a pitcher with a significant amount of innings can be.

So what's the deal? A couple of things. First, he's ditched his slider for a cutter (something his agent had apparently been suggesting for some time). And he's throwing it a lot: 31.6 percent of the time so far. Against the Blue Jays, he threw the cutter 34 times and he'd used it even more in his previous two starts. Second, he worked with new Twins pitching coach Derek Johnson on using his hips more in his delivery and that's resulted in better fastball velocity (a big leap of about 2 mph).

"Before, I just used my arms," Perez said in spring training. "Now, I'm using all my body, and you guys can see the results. I don't miss inside anymore. ... Now, I just stay on the line and just throw the ball in front of my eyes."

Yes, it's only five starts, and four of those have been against the Orioles and Blue Jays. But in this case, there are clear and obvious reasons for the hot start. Perez is looking like one of the best free-agent signings of the offseason.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. update: Since the Blue Jays got shut out, that means Vladdy Jr. is still looking for his first home run. He went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and also made an error. (It could have been two, but one smash hit right to him was generously ruled a base hit.) He's now 5-for-33 in nine games, a .152/.243/.182 line. He's also fanned 10 times, a 27 percent strikeout rate. If this came from games 103 to 111, we wouldn't even notice, but it's a reminder that Vlad is a 20-year-old with little experience above Double-A.

Paddack outduels deGrom: It feels like I've written a note after every Chris Paddack start, but the Padres right-hander is so good, so fun to watch, with a masterful blend of movement and command and a lights-out changeup. In an anticipated showdown against Jacob deGrom, the rookie fanned 11 in 7⅔ scoreless innings in a 4-0 victory for the Padres. The Mets are suddenly scuffling at the plate, with just seven runs in their past six games.

Paddack threw his three fastest pitches of the season: 97.9, 97.9 and 97.2 mph, all to fellow rookie Pete Alonso -- and two of those were strikeout fastballs. Paddack said before the game that he wanted Alonso -- "I'm coming for him," he said -- and he got him.

The Reds score lots of runs: Speaking of highly ranked prospect rookies, Nick Senzel homered twice for the Reds in a 12-4 victory over the Giants:

You think Nick Senzel likes leading off?#BornToBaseball pic.twitter.com/dhO37bpmSx

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) May 6, 2019

DOINK!

Reds batters tied the Major League record (set in 1893) for batters hit by a pitch in an inning with four in the 6th, two with the bases loaded. pic.twitter.com/7UmtwzsqFc

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) May 6, 2019

Ready now... play ball! ? pic.twitter.com/Z4ioWU8Ojp

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) May 6, 2019

That's a swarm of bees and it caused an 18-minute delay.

The Reds scored 37 runs in the four-game series and hit 15 home runs, but came away with just a split as they blew an eight-run lead on Friday. Anyway, with all this craziness going on, my thoughts turned to Joey Votto. He had two hits on Monday, but he's still struggling, hitting .226/.341/.365 with three home runs. His projected stats are 14 home runs and 157 strikeouts. Two seasons ago, Votto hit 36 home runs, struck out just 83 times (while drawing 134 walks) and missed by two points of winning his second MVP Award. So as a big Votto fan, these 2019 numbers are a little depressing.

The Statcast data reveals what the eyes tell you: It's not a guy hitting into bad luck. He entered the day with an expected batting average of .204 based on the quality of contact. His swing-and-miss rate is up almost 10 percent from two years ago. His swing-and-miss rate against fastballs is up 7 percent. He's hitting more fly balls than ever, but they're not leaving the park. Votto has had slumps before, but this feels like something more than a slump, and based on the lack of power in 2018, it seems we won't see the "one of the best hitters in the game" version of Votto again. Getting older stinks.

Sabathia versus Pettitte: The Yankees beat the Mariners 7-3, jumping all over Felix Hernandez for seven runs and three home runs in the first three innings. CC Sabathia got the win, No. 248 in his long career, though he labored a bit with 99 pitches and three runs allowed over five innings. After crossing 3,000 career strikeouts in his previous outing, becoming the 17th pitcher to do so (all the others ahead of him are in the Hall of Fame except Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling), there has been a lot of talk about Sabathia as a future Hall of Famer.

The consensus opinion that I've seen and heard is a clear "yes," although Ken Rosenthal pointed out on MLB Network on Monday that voters need to be careful with Sabathia -- as with Jack Morris -- in that if you elect him, that could open the door for a lot of other similar candidates.

That's my take. Yes, 3,000 strikeouts and 250 wins are impressive accomplishments, plus he won a Cy Young Award. On the other hand, I think there's one obvious comparison why Sabathia shouldn't be viewed as a Hall of Fame lock:

Sabathia: 248-154, 3.69 ERA, 3,495⅓ IP, 3,007 SO, 62.6 WAR, 117 ERA+
Andy Pettitte: 256-153, 3.74 ERA, 3,316 IP, 2,448 SO, 60.6 WAR, 117 ERA+

It's hard to find two more similar pitchers, right down to the identical adjusted ERAs. Indeed, using the similarity scores at Baseball-Reference.com, Sabathia's No. 1 comp is Pettitte, and Pettitte's No. 1 comp is Sabathia.

Here's the thing, however: In his first year on the Hall of Fame ballot, Pettitte received just 9.9 percent of the vote. Yes, he admitted to briefly using HGH in 2002 while rehabbing an elbow injury, but he seems to have escaped the PED stigma and that doesn't seem like an issue for most voters.

The above stats don't even factor in Pettitte's postseason edge. He started 44 playoff games, the most ever, and went 19-11 with a 3.81 ERA. Sabathia has started 21 playoff games and gone 10-7 with a 4.31 ERA. Sabathia does have one significant advantage: In one sense, he's been viewed during his career as more like a potential Hall of Famer. That makes sense. In his six best seasons, he compiled 35.1 WAR (including a Cy Young Award and six seasons of 4.6 WAR or higher); in Pettitte's six best, he had 31.7 WAR (and just three seasons of 4.0 WAR or higher).

Still, it doesn't compute that Pettitte would be a non-factor on the ballot while Sabathia is viewed as a lock. This could be a case of recency bias and a good example of why there is the five-year rule before a player appears on the ballot.

Javelin and steeplechase marks are smashed on the final day of the BUCS Championships in Bedford

Aimee Pratt smashed the BUCS 2000m steeplechase championship record to to move to third on the British all-time list on an exciting final day of the BUCS Championships in Bedford.

Pratt ran 6:26.14 to move within five seconds of Lennie Waite’s British record of 6:21.31 and finished 12 seconds ahead of silver medallist Emily Moyes, who ran 6:38.40.

“I would have been disappointed with anything but a win,” Pratt told AW. “I’m targeting the European U23 Championships and hope to medal there. Hopefully I can run under 9:40 for the 3000m steeplechase.”

Equally dominant was Harry Hughes in the men’s javelin. Hughes threw a championship record of 78.63m to win by over 16m.

In the women’s pole vault, Tilly Hooper broke the BUCS record with a PB clearance of 4.02m.

Other medals were much more closely contested, notably in both the men’s and women’s 5000m.

Ellis Cross ran an “unexpected” race to beat a very competitive field to lead home a St Mary’s clean sweep. Cross out-kicked BUCS cross country champion Emile Cairess, clocking 14:18.82 to Cairess’ 14:19.26 to win a second BUCS 5000m title.

An exciting 5000m final is won by Ellis Cross in a St Mary’s clean sweep, clocking 14:18.82 to beat Emile Cairess and Abdulquani Sharif #BUCSOutdoors @StMarysU pic.twitter.com/rsHnBJZbJN

— Athletics Weekly (@AthleticsWeekly) May 6, 2019

“I didn’t expect it after coming third last year,” said Cross. “I was just thinking about trying to complete the set and take the silver today.

“I didn’t know what shape I’d be in. I’ve been at altitude so I haven’t been able to train on the track for four weeks.”

Abdulqani Sharif held off Cardiff Metropolitan’s Jake Smith and Southampton Solent’s Mahamed Mahamed to take the bronze in 14:25.96.

St Mary’s team-mate and Denmark international Anna Emilie Møller out-kicked Jess Judd to deny her a second BUCS 5000m title. The European U23 champion ran 15:54.80 to Judd’s 15:56.96. Amelia Quirk was third in 16:02.47.

Several athletes were able to successfully defend their BUCS titles. Adele Nicoll won the women’s shot put for her fourth BUCS gold as GB heptathlete Niamh Emerson was second with 13.36m.

Meanwhile, Khai Riley-La Borde spoke of his “relief” to win a third BUCS gold following wins at last year’s 110m hurdles and at the 60m hurdles at the indoor BUCS championships.

“There’s some very talented youngsters coming up the under-20 ranks but once I got my start right I knew it was game over,” he said.

Jessica Hunter (100m hurdles), Isabelle Boffey (800m) and Commonwealth Youth Games 800m champion Alex Botterill all also won golds following victories at the BUCS indoor championships.

Botterill said: “I was quietly confident. Training has been going extremely well. My main aim is to win the under-20 European trials and get on that plane.”

While many athletes retained their titles, some were delighted to finally take gold. Tom Horton won the 3000m steeplechase in 9:13.48 ahead of Dan Jarvis with 9:17.48 and Jayme Rossiter with 9:17.56.

“I’ve been wanting to win the gold for ages,” he said. “I won the indoors 3000m two years ago but I got disqualified. That’s been in my head every since. I’m a senior now so I just want to run as close to 8:30 for the 3000m steeplechase as I can.”

A dramatic finish to the women’s 400m hurdles saw Mae Thompson win gold in windy conditions in 61.52 ahead of Emily Craig and Lauren Williams, while the men’s title was won by Alexander Knibbs in 51.19 ahead of Alastair Chalmers with 51.60.

A dramatic finish to the race as Mae Thompson wins 400mH gold in windy conditions in 61.52 ahead of Emily Craig and Lauren Williams #BUCSOutdoors pic.twitter.com/wPO6B9TrMj

— Athletics Weekly (@AthleticsWeekly) May 6, 2019

Full results can be found here.

Elsewhere, other stand-out track performances from over the weekend included a PB for Jodie Williams as after eight years the 2010 world junior champion clocked 11.17 to improve her 100m best, while she also ran 22.46 (+2.9m/s) for 200m in Texas.

British number two Katie Boulter has withdrawn from the French Open and will miss the rest of the clay-court season due to a back injury.

The world number 92 was struggling with the injury during Britain's Fed Cup victory over Kazakhstan last month.

Boulter, 22, sealed a 3-1 victory as she beat Zarina Diyas, but needed a hot water bottle on her back during changeovers.

She has not played since that match on 21 April.

American Sloane Stephens recorded her fourth successive win over former world number one Victoria Azarenka to advance to the round of 16 at the Madrid Open.

The 26-year-old world number eight was broken twice as Azarenka, now ranked 52, took the match to a deciding set.

Belarusian Azarenka, 29, spurned two break points at 1-1 and Stephens won 6-4 2-6 6-2 in two hours, six minutes.

Stephens will face the winner of Tuesday's match between China's Zheng Saisai and Alize Cornet of France.

Defending champion Petra Kvitova thwarted a fightback from world number 63 Kristina Mladenovic to go through 6-3 7-6 (7-5) in an hour and 55 minutes.

The Czech second seed, chasing a fourth title on the Caja Magica clay, will face wild card Sorana Cirstea or Caroline Garcia in the last 16.

Seventh seed Kiki Bertens and 12th-ranked Anastasija Sevastova recorded straight-set victories over Jelena Ostapenko and Mihaela Buzarnescu respectively.

In the men's doubles, Britain's Kyle Edmund, who plays 10th seed Fabio Fognini in the singles on Tuesday, teamed up with Liverpudlian Neal Skupski to beat French pair Jeremy Chardy and Gilles Simon 6-2 6-3.

Britain's Dom Inglot, partnering India's Rohan Bopanna, lost in straight sets, while Joe Salisbury, in partnership with American Rajeev Ram, also went out, losing the deciding set 11-9 against Argentine duo Maximo Gonzalez and Horacio Zeballos.

Meanwhile second seed Rafael Nadal, who faces highly-rated teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime on Wednesday, pulled out of his media conference with a stomach bug.