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Neither a cranky hamstring nor No. 25 Oklahoma was able to slow down Brandon Johnson and San Diego.

Johnson scored 18 of his 22 points in the first half, then his Toreros teammates took over to beat the Sooners 76-64 Wednesday night in the first round of the Great Alaska Shootout.

It was the second loss in five days for the Sooners (2-2), who lost to Virginia Commonwealth on Saturday night. Willie Warren led Oklahoma with 30 points, mostly after the outcome was decided.

"We're

Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell shot a better-ball 58 on Thursday to give Ireland a three-stroke lead over Argentina after the first round of the World Cup of Golf on Thursday.

Argentina's Tano Goya and Rafael Echenique were at 11-under 61, with Japan another shot behind. The United States pair of Nick Watney and John Merrick was tied for 15th at 5-under 67 after four birdies by Watney.

Defending champion Sweden was tied with Italy, Canada and South Korea six strokes off the lead

It could have been one of those days Eric Moncur would remember forever.

He was supposed to be playing his final regular-season game Saturday for the Miami Hurricanes. His mother was supposed to be there, wearing her kid's No. 94 jersey, screaming nonstop for three hours to the delight of the Miami faithful sitting nearby. And afterward, a proud and close-knit family was supposed to go out to celebrate, a mother and son toasting each other on the birthday they shared.

None of it will

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier understands all about rivalries.

In the early '60s at Scientific Hill High in the mountains of Tennessee, he said there's nothing he wanted to do more than knock off crosstown Kingsport High.

At Florida, he beat Florida State to win the national championship in one of the hottest rivalries of the 1990s.

But when he came to the Gamecocks, he didn't want his team putting too much into winning just one game a season. So he took down the "Beat

The Sacramento Kings said they were informed by the NBA that a former employee gambled while on their staff.

Jack Mai, the team's former assistant director of scouting, was found to have gambled while with the Kings, who fired him in January. Last season was his eighth with the franchise and third as assistant director of scouting.

Kings owner Joe Maloof said the team fired Mai as soon as it found out through general manager Geoff Petrie that Mai had been wagering.

"I wasn't

Greg Ellis spent the last few years bracing for his release from the Dallas Cowboys. So when it happened in June, it didn't sting too badly.

He even started looking at the bright side _ finally getting to spend Thanksgiving with his family after 11 years of playing on the holiday.

Then he signed with the Oakland Raiders and Al Davis broke the news to him.

"Greg," Davis said, "guess who you are going to play on Thanksgiving?"

"My wife was not too happy about that," Ellis

The New York Giants just escaped their own month of misery. So they understand the seething frustration and loss of poise in Denver, where sideline shoves, the head coach's cockiness and players-only meetings are all the buzz.

The Broncos (6-4) have lost four in a row and blown what was once a 3 1/2-game division cushion. The Giants (6-4) snapped their own four-game slide, which cost them the NFC East lead, by beating Atlanta in overtime Sunday.

The two second-place teams meet Thursday

The Green Bay Packers are hoping to bolster their postseason chances with a win at Detroit on Thanksgiving.

Recent history suggests the Lions will be accommodating hosts.

Detroit has lost five straight games on the holiday by an average of 23.4 points since beating the Packers in 2003, and its worst game this season was at Green Bay.

The Lions (2-8), though, are enjoying a positive buzz they haven't had since starting 6-2 two years ago. They rallied from a 21-point deficit to

EAST

Binghamton 66, Ark.-Monticello 56

Boston U. 69, Northeastern 64, OT

Brown 70, Bryant 68

Harvard 78, New Hampshire 60

Lehigh 76, St. Francis, Pa. 67

Manhattan 69, American U. 62

Niagara 74, Mount St. Mary's, Md. 64

Penn St. 87, Sacred Heart 75

Sam Houston St. 80, Rider 68

SOUTH

Auburn 75, High Point 54

Davidson 78, Fredonia St. 37

E. Kentucky 74, UTSA 72

ETSU 77, Coll. of Charleston 71

Fairfield 81,

All Times EST EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L OT Pts GF GA Pittsburgh 17 8 0 34 77 69 New Jersey 15 6 1 31 61 49 Philadelphia 13 8 1 27 75 60 N.Y. Rangers 13 10 1 27 74 66 N.Y. Islanders 9 9 7 25 68 76 Northeast Division W L OT Pts GF GA Boston 12 8 4 28 59 59 Ottawa 12 7 3 27 67 65 Buffalo 12 7 2 26 54 52 Montreal 12 12 1 25 63 72 ...

All Times EST AMERICAN CONFERENCE East W L T Pct PF PA New England 7 3 0 .700 290 164 Miami 5 5 0 .500 242 244 N.Y. Jets 4 6 0 .400 213 189 Buffalo 3 7 0 .300 155 228 South W L T Pct PF PA Indianapolis 10 0 0 1.000 269 157 Jacksonville 6 4 0 .600 199 235 Houston 5 5 0 .500 232 208 Tennessee 4 6 0 .400 209 272 North W L T Pct PF PA Cincinnati...

All Times EST EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L Pct GB Boston 11 4 .733 _ Toronto 7 9 .438 4 1/2 Philadelphia 5 10 .333 6 New York 3 12 .200 8 New Jersey 0 15 .000 11 Southeast Division W L Pct GB Atlanta 11 3 .786 _ Orlando 11 4 .733 1/2 Miami 9 5 .643 2 Charlotte 5 9 .357 6 Washington ...

Klay Thompson scored 25 points and pulled down seven rebounds and Washington State defeated Alaska-Anchorage 87-68 on Wednesday night in the first round of the Carrs-Safeway Great Alaska Shootout.

The Cougars (4-0) led 36-28 at halftime behind Thompson's 11 points.

He hit a baseline jumper to start a 13-3 run with 14:25 remaining in the second half and Washington State built a 19-point lead, 60-41, with 11:33 remaining.

The Division II Seawolves (2-1) chipped away and Donnie

Rafer Alston lamented that it's gotten so bad for the New Jersey Nets after 15 straight losses that there's nothing more to say for inspiration.

"You bust out a speech at 0-5. You use different quotes from different champions and leaders at 0-10," he said. "But at this point it's all inside of you as individuals. You've got to find something inside of you to leave on the floor."

The Nets moved a loss closer to the record for the NBA's worst start to a season on Wednesday night when

Freshman sensation John Wall scored a season-best 23 points, including clutch shots in the final minute that sent the game to overtime, and No. 5 Kentucky closed with an eight-point run for a 73-65 victory over gritty Stanford on Wednesday night in the championship game of the Cancun Challenge at the Moon Palace Resort.

Playing his fifth college game, Wall capped a big night with a slam dunk at the final horn, setting off a wild celebration by Kentucky players before a crowd of 1,425.

Wall

Marian Hossa scored twice in his first game for Chicago, and the Blackhawks beat the San Jose Sharks 7-2 on Wednesday night for their eighth straight victory.

Hossa, who signed a 12-year, $62.8 million contract with the Blackhawks after scoring 40 goals for Detroit last season, had shoulder surgery four months ago.

Troy Brouwer, Patrick Sharp, Dustin Byfuglien, Brent Seabrook and John Madden also scored for the Blackhawks, playing the fourth game of a six-game trip. Cristobal Huet

Chicago 1 3 3_7 San Jose 0 0 2_2 First Period_1, Chicago, Brouwer 7 (Keith), 17:45 (sh). Penalties_Seabrook, Chi (holding), 16:51. Second Period_2, Chicago, Hossa 1 (Toews), 4:57 (sh). 3, Chicago, Sharp 7 (Hjalmarsson), 5:25 (sh). 4, Chicago, Byfuglien 8 (Barker, Sharp), 10:38. Penalties_Brouwer, Chi (boarding), 4:09 Clowe, SJ (elbowing), 11:43 Nichol, SJ (hooking), 15:42 Barker, Chi (interference), 18:32. Third Period_5, Chicago, Seabrook 3 (Keith, Brouwer), 5:19. 6,...

Robert Sacre scored 14 points and Gonzaga won the Maui Invitational for the first time in three tries, beating Cincinnati 61-59 in overtime Wednesday night at the Lahaina Civic Center.

Steven Gray and Elias Harris added 13 points apiece for Gonzaga (5-1).

The Bulldogs, who also got 12 points from Demetri Goodson, overcame a 10-point second-half deficit and sent the game to overtime after Sacre hit a floater in the lane with 16 seconds to play in regulation. Sacre then blocked Cincinnati's

Donte Greene made six 3-pointers and tied a career high with 24 points, and the Sacramento Kings never trailed in a 111-97 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.

Leading by 10 points at the half, the Kings built the margin to 93-73 with an impressive third quarter and the lead remained in double figures the rest of the game.

Rookie Tyreke Evans had 19 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for Sacramento, which snapped a four-game losing streak. It was the first time

The New Jersey Nets moved a loss closer to the record for the NBA's worst start to a season on Wednesday night when they dropped their 15th straight game, 93-83 to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Greg Oden continued a recent run of strong play with 18 points and eight rebounds for the Blazers, who have won 10 of their last 12. Portland has won six straight at home.

The NBA record is 17 straight losses to start a season, set by the 1988-89 expansion Miami Heat and matched by the Los Angeles

EAST

Binghamton 66, Ark.-Monticello 56

Boston U. 69, Northeastern 64, OT

Brown 70, Bryant 68

Harvard 78, New Hampshire 60

Lehigh 76, St. Francis, Pa. 67

Manhattan 69, American U. 62

Niagara 74, Mount St. Mary's, Md. 64

Penn St. 87, Sacred Heart 75

Sam Houston St. 80, Rider 68

SOUTH

Auburn 75, High Point 54

Davidson 78, Fredonia St. 37

E. Kentucky 74, UTSA 72

ETSU 77, Coll. of Charleston 71

Fairfield 81,

Jason Kidd moved into second place on the NBA's career assists list, Jason Terry scored 27 points and the Dallas Mavericks shot 65.5 percent in a 130-99 victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.

Kidd delivered seven assists to reach 10,337 in his career. He came in needing five to pass Mark Jackson's career total (10,334), and now trails only John Stockton (15,806).

Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 and Tim Thomas added a season-high 23 for the Mavericks, who went 9 for 17 from 3-point

Brady Quinn's best game as a pro seemed to make him nostalgic about his college days.

With Charlie Weis perhaps down to his final days at Notre Dame, Cleveland's quarterback said he would love to be reunited with his former coach.

"It'd be nice," Quinn said. "I'd like to play under him again if I had the opportunity. It'd be cool."

Quinn set career-highs with four touchdown passes and 304 passing yards in a gut-wrenching loss at Detroit on Sunday. On Wednesday, he spent a portion

Jonathan Quick made 22 saves, and Wayne Simmonds had a goal and an assist in the Los Angeles Kings' 3-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night.

Matt Greene and Alexander Frolov also scored to help the Kings end a two-game losing streak. Ryan Potulny scored for the Oilers.

Greene, a former Oilers player acquired by the Kings in the trade for defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky, gave the Kings a 2-1 lead with 4:28 left. Greene beat Jeff Deslauriers with a point shot high to the

Carolina 1 0 1_2 Anaheim 0 1 2_3 First Period_1, Carolina, Kostopoulos 2 (Cullen, Pitkanen), 1:23. Penalties_Calder, Ana (interference), 4:57. Second Period_2, Anaheim, Niedermayer 3 (Selanne, Perry), 19:11 (pp). Penalties_Eminger, Ana (holding), 2:11 Wallin, Car (hooking), 6:28 Calder, Ana (hooking), 13:05 Staal, Car (high-sticking), 18:37. Third Period_3, Anaheim, Nokelainen 2 (Calder, Marchant), 12:43. 4, Anaheim, Selanne 12 (Koivu, Artyukhin), 18:28. 5, Carolina,...

Petteri Nokelainen scored the go-ahead goal with 7:17 left and the Anaheim Ducks beat Carolina 3-2 on Wednesday night, sending the Hurricanes to a franchise-record 12th straight road loss to start the season.

Teemu Selanne had a goal and an assist to help the Ducks earn their 300th regular-season home victory.

Anaheim's Corey Perry assisted on a power-play goal by Scott Niedermayer to extend his career-best points streak to 16 games, the longest in the NHL this season and one off

Freshman sensation John Wall scored a season-best 23 points, including clutch shots in the final minute that sent the game to overtime, and No. 5 Kentucky closed with an eight-point run for a 73-65 victory over gritty Stanford on Wednesday night in the championship game of the Cancun Challenge at the Moon Palace Resort.

Playing his fifth college game, Wall capped a big night with a slam dunk at the final horn, setting off a wild celebration by Kentucky players before a crowd of 1,425.

Wall

Nigel Dawes scored the go-ahead goal with 5:44 remaining, and Miikka Kiprusoff made 27 saves in the Calgary Flames' 2-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday night.

David Moss found Dawes with a pass from behind the Phoenix net and Dawes one-timed the puck past Ilya Bryzgalov for his fifth goal of the season and first in 13 games.

Daymond Langkow opened the scoring for the Flames late in the second period, and Keith Yandle tied it on a power play midway through the third.

In

The Sacramento Kings said Wednesday they were informed by the NBA that a former employee gambled while on their staff.

Jack Mai, the team's former assistant director of scouting, was found to have gambled while with the Kings, who fired him in January. Last season was his eighth with the franchise and third as assistant director of scouting.

Kings owner Joe Maloof said the team fired Mai as soon as it found out through general manager Geoff Petrie that Mai had been wagering.

"I

Bobby Howard had a season-high 21 points and Erik Rush made a pair of free throws with 13.5 seconds left to seal Montana State's 70-66 win over San Francisco on Wednesday night.

Rush, the Bobcats' leading scorer, finished with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists while Branden Johnson added 13 points for Montana State (2-2), which held the Dons scoreless over the final 2:39.

Dior Lowhorn had 17 points and nine rebounds for San Francisco (2-3), which lost its third straight.

Nashville 2 1 0 1_4 Colorado 0 3 0 0_3 First Period_1, Nashville, Dumont 4 (Weber), 3:00 (pp). 2, Nashville, Goc 2 (Erat, Tootoo), 10:52. Penalties_Clark, Col (interference), 2:11 Koci, Col (interference), 16:45 Goc, Nas (cross-checking), 19:34. Second Period_3, Colorado, R.Wilson 2 (Hejduk), 3:39. 4, Colorado, Hejduk 11 (D.Jones, Quincey), 11:12 (pp). 5, Colorado, Svatos 6 (Stewart, Clark), 14:35. 6, Nashville, Weber 6 (Arnott, Suter), 18:07 (pp). Penalties_Erat, Nas, double...

Los Angeles 0 1 2_3 Edmonton 1 0 0_1 First Period_1, Edmonton, Potulny 3 (Souray, Moreau), 17:37. Penalties_Souray, Edm (cross-checking), 10:33. Second Period_2, Los Angeles, Simmonds 6 (R.Jones, Parse), 6:38. Penalties_O'Donnell, LA, major (fighting), 4:47 Jacques, Edm, major (fighting), 4:47 Handzus, LA (boarding), 8:13 Gagner, Edm (tripping), 12:46 Frolov, LA (tripping), 12:57 O'Sullivan, Edm (interference), 17:28 Handzus, LA (roughing), 19:13 Souray, Edm (roughing),...

Shaq is ready to be back.

Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said he'll know Friday if Shaquille O'Neal will return from his shoulder injury to play the Charlotte Bobcats.

O'Neal doesn't sound like he needs to wait that long.

"I'm playing," he said Wednesday night after the Cavs beat Detroit without him.

O'Neal has missed six straight games since getting hurt Nov. 12 against Miami, trying to block a dunk.

The Cavs have been cautious with O'Neal after acquiring

Phoenix 0 0 1_1 Calgary 0 1 1_2 First Period_None. Penalties_Bissonnette, Pho, major (fighting), 11:40 Prust, Cal, major (fighting), 11:40 Giordano, Cal (holding stick), 12:46 Regehr, Cal (hooking), 14:49. Second Period_1, Calgary, Langkow 8 (Glencross, Nystrom), 17:20. Penalties_Schlemko, Pho (tripping), 10:14. Third Period_2, Phoenix, Yandle 4 (Schlemko, Lang), 10:30 (pp). 3, Calgary, Dawes 5 (Moss, Langkow), 14:16. Penalties_Giordano, Cal (delay of game), 8:32. Shots...

With no apparent interest from NBA teams, Allen Iverson is set to retire, according to an online report.

Commentator Stephen A. Smith published a statement on his Web site Wednesday attributed to Iverson. It said Iverson plans to retire but also that "I feel strongly that I can still compete at the highest level."

The statement also said Iverson has tremendous love for the game and the desire to play, adding there is "a whole lot left in my tank."

"His legacy would be huge,"

Jon Scheyer had 16 points and six assists, and No. 7 Duke used a 19-3 second-half run to take control of a 64-53 victory over Arizona State on Wednesday night in the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off.

Nolan Smith had 14 points and Kyle Singler added 13 for Duke (5-0), which led by only four at halftime.

The Sun Devils (4-1), who managed to stay close behind their patient offense and pesky zone defense, tied it at 43 on two free throws by Derek Glasser with 13:11 to play only to

David Legwand scored at 3:07 of overtime to give Nashville a 4-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night, the Predators' seventh straight victory.

J.P. Dumont, Marcel Goc and Shea Weber also scored, and Pekka Rinna made 19 saves in Nashville's 11th victory in its last 13 games.

Milan Hejduk had a goal and an assist, rookie defenseman Ryan Wilson, Marek Svatos added goals, and Craig Anderson stopped 21 shots for Colorado. The Avalanche have lost three of their last four.

Both

Amare Stoudemire scored 18 of his 28 points during a torrid third quarter and the Phoenix Suns beat the Memphis Grizzlies 126-111 Wednesday night for their 15th consecutive home victory.

In the third quarter, the scintillating, high-scoring Suns hit their first 12 field-goal attempts and finished the quarter 17 for 20.

The Suns are 12-3, the best record in the NBA. They are the only team in the league to score at least 100 points in every game this season. They also have scored at

Frank Davis had 19 points to lead Tennessee Tech to a 72-65 victory over Southern Utah Wednesday night.

Elijah Muhammad had 12 points and Alfred Jones added 11 points and nine rebounds for the Golden Eagles (3-3).

Davis Baker had a game-high 25 points and seven rebounds to lead the Thunderbirds (3-3). Matt Hodsgon added 12 points and Ryan Brimley had 11.

Southern Utah outscored Tennessee Tech 37-36 in the second half, but it wasn't enough to compensate for a 36-28 halftime deficit.

After

David West had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Hornets defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 102-99 in overtime Wednesday night.

Rookie point guard Darren Collison scored 18 points, including a 3-pointer to tie it with 7.5 seconds left in regulation. Collison also stole the ball from fellow rookie Brandon Jennings and drew a foul late in overtime, then hit two free throws to help New Orleans extend its home overtime winning streak to 11.

Luke Ridnour had a season-high 23 points

Tony Parker scored 32 points and the San Antonio Spurs overcame another iron man performance by Monta Ellis in a 118-104 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.

Tim Duncan had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Spurs, who used a 22-3 run spanning the third and fourth quarters for their season-best third consecutive victory.

One night after a season-high, 37-point performance in a 111-103 victory at Dallas, Ellis topped it by scoring 42 points on 16-of-25 shooting to

Brad Boyes scored in the second round of the shootout, and Ty Conklin stopped Stephane Robidas in the third to give the St. Louis Blues a 4-3 victory over the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night.

Brad Richards scored for Dallas in the first round, but Andy McDonald countered for St. Louis. Dallas' Mike Ribeiro hit the goal post with his second-round attempt, and Boyes scored through Marty Turco's pads to give the Blues the edge.

T.J. Oshie gave the Blues a 3-2 advantage with 8:59 remaining,

St. Louis 2 0 1 0_4 Dallas 2 0 1 0_3 St. Louis won shootout 2-1 First Period_1, Dallas, Robidas 6 (Richards, Modano), 5:37 (pp). 2, St. Louis, Johnson 3 (Boyes, Perron), 9:00 (pp). 3, Dallas, Petersen 3 (Wandell, Barch), 10:43. 4, St. Louis, Backes 2 (Polak, Oshie), 12:02. Penalties_Janssen, StL, major (fighting), 2:26 Barch, Dal, major (fighting), 2:26 Polak, StL (high-sticking), 2:36 Tkachuk, StL (hooking), 4:53 Wandell, Dal (holding), 8:04. Second Period_None. Penalties_Steen,...

Daniel Bryant came off the bench to score 20 points and Brandon Reed added 19 as Arkansas State defeated Tennesee-Martin 80-66 Wednesday night.

Brandon Peterson had 11 points for the Red Wolves (3-1), who outrebounded their opponents 80-66.

Benzor Simmons led Tennessee-Martin with a game-high 23 points, and Reuben Clayton added 14.

The Skyhawks stayed close in the first half and led by four with 14 minutes left before dropping the lead and trailing 37-33 at the half.

They

LaSondra Barrett scored seven of her game-high 22 points in overtime to lead seventh-ranked LSU to a 73-65 victory over Tulane on Wednesday night.

LSU (5-0), which scored only five points in the final 15:30 of regulation, played without Allison Hightower for the last 2:44 and all of overtime. She fell to the floor with a leg injury and watched the rest of the game from the baseline at the end of the Tigers bench while trainers stretched her leg.

Freshman Olivia Grayson led Tulane

Tim Williams scored 25 points and South Alabama dominated the final 10 minutes of the game for an 83-67 victory over Alcorn State on Wednesday night.

Alcorn State (0-7) led 41-39 at halftime, but the Jaguars (4-2) outscored the Braves 44-26 in the second half in the first round of the South Alabama Thanksgiving Tournament.

Williams, who was averaging 14.2 points entering the game, was 9-for-17 from the field and had seven rebounds.

South Alabama led 56-53 with 10:22 left before

All Times EST EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L OT Pts GF GA Pittsburgh 17 8 0 34 77 69 New Jersey 15 6 1 31 61 49 Philadelphia 13 8 1 27 75 60 N.Y. Rangers 13 10 1 27 74 66 N.Y. Islanders 9 9 7 25 68 76 Northeast Division W L OT Pts GF GA Boston 12 8 4 28 59 59 Ottawa 12 7 3 27 67 65 Buffalo 12 7 2 26 54 52 Montreal 12 12 1 25 63 72 ...

All Times EST AMERICAN CONFERENCE East W L T Pct PF PA New England 7 3 0 .700 290 164 Miami 5 5 0 .500 242 244 N.Y. Jets 4 6 0 .400 213 189 Buffalo 3 7 0 .300 155 228 South W L T Pct PF PA Indianapolis 10 0 0 1.000 269 157 Jacksonville 6 4 0 .600 199 235 Houston 5 5 0 .500 232 208 Tennessee 4 6 0 .400 209 272 North W L T Pct PF PA Cincinnati...

LeBron James scored 12 of his 34 points in the first quarter, helping the Cleveland Cavaliers build a cushion it used to cruise to a 98-88 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.

James' strong start gave the Cavs a nine-point lead to start the second quarter. Reserve Daniel Gibson and Mo Williams combined to score 18 points in the second quarter to put them ahead by 18 at halftime.

When the Pistons pulled within 10 midway through the fourth quarter, James responded with a

Magnum Rolle scored 23 to lead three Louisiana Tech players with at least 20 points in an 86-66 win over Arkansas-Little Rock on Wednesday night.

Kyle Gibson added 22 points and Olu Ashaolu chipped in 20 in the Bulldogs' home opener.

Louisiana Tech shot 54.8 percent in the first half (17 of 31) and led 50-33 at halftime.

The Bulldogs (3-1) shot 52.8 percent from the field (28 of 53) with Ashaolu making 8 of 11. Gibson was 6-for-9 from the field and Rolle shot 11 of 14 from the

Marcus Morris and Xavier Henry each scored 19 points, leading No. 1 Kansas to an 89-59 victory over Oakland, Mich., on Wednesday night that stretched the nation's longest home court winning streak to 44 games.

Morris, a 6-foot-8 sophomore showing significant progress since an inconsistent freshman campaign, added 11 rebounds. He shot 6 for 10 from the field, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range, and committed only one turnover for the Jayhawks (4-0).

The Golden Grizzlies (2-3), the

Jake Robinson scored 25 points and Harouna Mutombo broke a late tie with consecutive baskets as Western Carolina defeated Duquesne 83-77 on Wednesday night.

Mutombo hit a jumper with 1:02 remaining to put the Catamounts (4-1) in front 79-77. The 6-foot-4 guard missed his free throw but was credited with a steal when he and Eric Evans of the Dukes (4-1) collided near midcourt. Mutombo, the nephew of former NBA star Dikembe Mutombo, made a layup with 54 seconds left for an 81-77 lead.

Western

Michael Beasley dunked a missed shot by Dwyane Wade with 1.6 seconds remaining, lifting the Miami Heat to a 99-98 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.

Wade's jumper was short, and Beasley soared in the air to take the rebound and seal the victory, which didn't come without controversy. Dwight Howard and the Magic bench pleaded for a goaltending call to no avail.

A desperation heave by Vince Carter wasn't close on the other end, and he tumbled into the stands off balance.

Michael Hunter scored 16 points to lead UC Irvine to a 75-54 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday night.

The Anteaters (3-3) controlled the second half to break open a tight game and send the Knights (1-5) to their third consecutive defeat.

Irvine led 39-35, but outscored Fairleigh Dickinson 36-19 in the second half in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Classic.

The Anteaters outrebounded the Knights 42-31 and had eight steals and turned the ball over 13 times compared to Fairleigh

David Krejci scored the shootout winner and rookie goalie Tuukka Rask stopped 28 shots to help the Boston Bruins win their fourth straight game, 2-1 over the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night.

The Bruins closed out a perfect four-game trip by beating the Wild for just the second time in team history despite managing a season-low 16 shots.

The main reason was Rask.

The rookie made his fifth straight start for Boston as regular goalie Tim Thomas remains out with an undisclosed

Billy Humphrey tied his career high with 26 points and New Orleans rallied to defeat Mobile 65-51 on Wednesday night.

Humphrey, who set his previous career high last Thursday, was 8-for-14 from the field and 9-for-11 from the free throw line for the Privateers (3-1). He did not start the game due to a coach's decision.

The Rams, who knocked off Louisiana-Lafayette 68-64 a night earlier, led 32-30 at halftime.

The Privateers took the lead a minute into the second half and never

For the first time in his NFL career, Kerry Rhodes is no longer a starting safety.

He's also not quite sure how much longer he'll be with the New York Jets after being demoted Wednesday by coach Rex Ryan in favor of Eric Smith.

"I don't know," Rhodes said of his future with the team. "I didn't expect to be in this position, so I don't know."

Rhodes has failed to be the playmaking presence Ryan expected when he compared him to Baltimore's Ed Reed in the offseason. Instead, Rhodes

Boston 1 0 0 0_2 Minnesota 0 1 0 0_1 Boston won shootout 2-1 First Period_1, Boston, Bitz 3 (Morris, Savard), 6:50. Penalties_Lucic, Bos (hooking), :58 Scott, Min (interference), 9:37 Rask, Bos, served by Thornton (hooking), 15:53 Morris, Bos (holding), 19:38. Second Period_2, Minnesota, Ebbett 2 (Brodziak, Sheppard), 10:23 (pp). Penalties_Clutterbuck, Min (interference), 1:47 Wheeler, Bos (interference), 8:27 Boston bench, served by Thornton (too many men), 11:13...

A.J. Ogilvy had 20 points and seven rebounds, and Jermaine Beal added 18 points and five assists to lead No. 24 Vanderbilt over Arizona 84-72 in the fifth-place game of the Maui Invitational on Wednesday.

The Commodores (4-1) shot 53 percent from the field, including 7 of 20 from beyond the 3-point line to make up for woeful free-throw shooting _ 15 for 29.

Arizona (3-2) was led by Solomon Hill's 17 points and Kyle Fogg's 10. Nic Wise, coming off a 30-point effort in an overtime win

Even in the Minnesota Timberwolves' loss-filled existence, they have never been this bad to start a season.

Carmelo Anthony scored 22 points and Nene had 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists as the Denver Nuggets handed the Timberwolves their 14th straight loss with a 124-111 victory on Wednesday night.

The Timberwolves have not won since an opening night victory over New Jersey. Their 1-14 mark is the worst 15-game start in team history.

Corey Brewer had the first double-double

Sylven Landesberg scored 20 points and Will Sherrill came off the bench to add 18, including 15 in the second half, to lead Virginia to a 76-65 victory over Cleveland State on Wednesday night.

Virginia (4-2) rallied from a 10-point, second-half deficit to finish in third at the Cancun Classic.

Cleveland State (3-3), which lost both of its games in the tournament, extended its lead to 39-29 at the 17:33 mark. The Cavaliers hit three straight baskets to cut the lead to 41-38 with 15:13

P.A. Parenteau scored in a shootout, and Henrik Lundqvist stopped all three Florida shooters to give the New York Rangers a 2-1 victory over the Panthers on Wednesday night.

Lundqvist made 25 saves in regulation and overtime, then stopped Nathan Horton, Steven Reinprecht and Stephen Weiss in the tiebreaker.

Marian Gaborik scored a power-play goal in the second period for New York, his NHL-leading 19th goal of the season.

Dominic Moore tied it late in the third period for the

Tyler Wilkerson had 18 points and seven blocks and Marshall tied its school record with 13 blocks in an 87-74 win over Lamar on Wednesday night.

The Thundering Herd (3-1) tied the mark set against the University of Charleston on Nov. 17, 2000.

Marshall blocked nine shots in the first half en route to a 41-25 lead while shooting 50 percent (18-for-36) from the field compared to 28.1 percent (9-for-32) for the Cardinals.

Lamar (2-4) improved to 46.2 percent (18-for-39) in the

Montreal 0 0 1_1 Pittsburgh 1 2 0_3 First Period_1, Pittsburgh, Crosby 12 (Talbot), 9:21. Penalties_None. Second Period_2, Pittsburgh, Guerin 6 (Malkin, Skoula), 6:41. 3, Pittsburgh, Gonchar 3 (Crosby, Staal), 16:56. Penalties_Pyatt, Mon (tripping), 4:20 Adams, Pit (high-sticking), 18:48. Third Period_4, Montreal, Pacioretty 3 (S.Kostitsyn, Metropolit), 7:17. Penalties_Hamrlik, Mon (tripping), 8:25. Shots on Goal_Montreal 8-7-4_19. Pittsburgh 8-16-6_30. Power-play...

Rajon Rondo scored six points during a key run early in the fourth quarter, nailed a shot clock-beating jumper on the baseline in the closing seconds, and the Boston Celtics overcame poor 3-point shooting to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 113-110 on Wednesday night.

Paul Pierce led Boston with 27 points, including a game-tying 3-pointer early in the 14-3 spurt. Kevin Garnett had 19 points and Ray Allen 18. Rondo finished with 10 points and seven assists.

Andre Iguodala paced the undermanned

Jeremy Lin scored 18 points and Christian Webster added 15 in his first start as Harvard coasted to a 78-60 victory over New Hampshire on Wednesday night.

The Crimson (4-1) made 60.9 percent of their first-half shots (14-for-23) compared to 19.0 percent (4-for-21) for the Wildcats (1-2). A 3-pointer by Lin at the buzzer gave Harvard a 46-26 bulge.

All four of New Hampshire's first-half field goals came on 3-pointers. The Wildcats missed all 11 of their 2-point tries but got to the

Darryl Crawford scored 26 points to lead Manhattan to a 69-62 victory over American on Wednesday night.

Crawford, who was averaging 13 points entering the game, was 9-for-17 from the field and hit seven free throws as the Jaspers (3-2) took command in the second half.

Manhattan and American (0-6) were tied at 32 before the Jaspers used a 12-2 run to forge a 44-34 lead with 11:36 remaining. Antoine Pearson scored six of his 12 points during that stretch.

The Eagles cut the lead

Tyrone Lewis scored 18 points after missing four games with a foot injury and Niagara defeated Mount St. Mary's (Md.) 74-64 on Wednesday night.

Lewis scored 15 of his points in the first half for the Purple Eagles (4-2).

Tied at 25, the Purple Eagles (4-2) closed the first half with a 15-6 run in the last 5:25 to lead 40-31 at halftime.

Niagara extended the lead to 49-34 to open the second half, but the Mount cut the deficit to 51-45 on Kelly Beidler's 3-pointer with 14:51 left.

The

N.Y. Rangers 0 1 0 0_2 Florida 0 0 1 0_1 N.Y. Rangers won shootout 1-0 First Period_None. Penalties_Leopold, Fla (tripping), 8:32 Callahan, NYR (slashing), 14:25 Gaborik, NYR (slashing), 17:12. Second Period_1, N.Y. Rangers, Gaborik 19 (Drury, Avery), 19:35 (pp). Penalties_McCabe, Fla (high-sticking), 4:43 Boyle, NYR (tripping), 7:22 Brashear, NYR, major (fighting), 10:46 MacIntyre, Fla, major (fighting), 10:46 Seidenberg, Fla (interference), 17:45. Third Period_2,...

Sidney Crosby scored a goal and set up another with an no-look pass and the Pittsburgh Penguins matched a franchise record for most victories in their first 25 games, beating the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 on Wednesday night.

The Penguins are 17-8 with five victories in six games since losing four in a row and five of six. The only other seasons they won 17 of their first 25 were 1995-96 (17-5-3) and 1994-95 (17-6-2), when there were tie games.

Crosby, held scoreless in five consecutive

Glory Johnson scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and sixth-ranked Tennessee beat Middle Tennessee 69-52 on Wednesday night before the first sellout crowd in Blue Raiders' history.

Pat Summitt hadn't brought her Lady Vols to Middle Tennessee since Nov. 26, 1979, when assistant Holly Warlick was a senior. Only 1,500 showed up that night for a Tennessee win. This time, Summitt came to play old friend Rick Insell's program, and 11,802 turned out to easily top the 10,010 when top-ranked

Lucas Hargrove scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Auburn to a 75-54 rout over High Point on Wednesday night.

The game was close for the opening 10 minutes, as High Point trailed by no more than one point. But Auburn (3-3) scored 18 straight points, while holding the Panthers (2-2) to no field goals in the final 10:51 of the first half.

The Tigers' surge gave them a 34-15 lead and later took a 22-point advantage into halftime.

DeWayne Reed finished with 13 points

Ondrej Pavelec made 40 saves for his second shutout of the season and his career to lift the Atlanta Thrashers to a 2-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night

Vyacheslav Kozlov had a goal and an assist, and Nik Antropov also scored to help Atlanta snap a three-game losing streak.

Jimmy Howard stopped 23 shots for Detroit. The Red Wings have lost four of their last five games.

Pavelec made a spectacular glove save, sliding across the crease, on Henrik Zetterberg's

Atlanta 1 1 0_2 Detroit 0 0 0_0 First Period_1, Atlanta, Antropov 2 (Afinogenov, Kozlov), 5:02. Penalties_Antropov, Atl (slashing), 11:45 Hainsey, Atl (tripping), 16:51. Second Period_2, Atlanta, Kozlov 3 (Kovalchuk, White), 9:08 (pp). Penalties_Draper, Det (tripping), 2:25 Lebda, Det (slashing), 7:16 Lidstrom, Det (hooking), 11:53 Peverley, Atl (tripping), 17:36. Third Period_None. Penalties_Cleary, Det (interference), 18:20. Shots on Goal_Atlanta 8-10-7_25. Detroit...

Jason Kidd moved into second place on the NBA's career assists list during the Dallas Mavericks' game with the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.

Kidd had 10,330 assists entering the game, and needed five more to pass Mark Jackson (10,334). Kidd got No. 5 on an alley-oop pass to Rodrigue Beaubois for a dunk with 10:53 left in the third quarter.

John Stockton is the NBA's career assists leader (15,806).

Politics will have to wait for Jon Runyan.

For the time being, he's still an NFL offensive lineman.

Runyan practiced with the San Diego Chargers on Wednesday for the first time since signing a free-agent contract. He hasn't played since the end of last season with the Philadelphia Eagles, who didn't re-sign him after he had microfracture surgery on his right knee.

Earlier this month, Runyan said he's considering running for Congress in New Jersey.

Runyan was signed after

Jerome Dyson and backcourt mate Kemba Walker each scored 20 points, and No. 13 Connecticut routed previously unbeaten LSU 81-55 on Wednesday night in the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off.

Gavin Edwards added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Huskies, who advanced to play No. 7 Duke or Arizona State for the championship on Friday at Madison Square Garden. Stanley Robinson finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

UConn (4-0) had been underwhelming during its first three games

Troy Murphy had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 86-73 on Wednesday night to snap their four-game losing streak.

Dahntay Jones scored 18 and Brandon Rush added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers (6-7). Indiana played without All-Star swingman Danny Granger, who missed the game with a sprained ligament in his left knee.

Baron Davis had 25 points and Marcus Camby added 15 points and 21 rebounds for the Clippers (6-10), who dropped

Jeremy Mayfield's former attorneys filed a civil suit Wednesday against the suspended NASCAR driver seeking nearly $400,000 in unpaid fees.

Meanwhile, Mayfield's new attorney filed a motion in U.S. District Court that claims NASCAR chairman Brian France misrepresented his primary residence to have Mayfield's lawsuit moved to federal court.

The two filings marked a busy day of legal wrangling in the case of Mayfield, who was suspended May 9 for failing a random drug test. NASCAR said

Will Archambault scored 22 points and Davidson beat Fredonia State 78-37 on Wednesday night.

Following a 9-9 tie with 14:45 left in the first half, the Wildcats (1-4) went on a 15-5 run and weren't challenged for the rest of their home opener.

JP Kuhlman, who finished with 11 points, gave Davidson a 24-14 lead on a layup with 6:42 left until halftime.

Kuhlman and Archambault scored 11 and 10 points in the first half, respectively, for the Wildcats, who led 32-20 at halftime.

Davidson

Scott Hartnell scored from the high slot with 5:27 left, and Brian Boucher made 28 saves in Philadelphia Flyers' 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Wednesday night.

Mike Richards added his 10th goal for Philadelphia. Trent Hunter had a first-period goal for Islanders, and former Flyers goalie Martin Biron stopped 26 shots.

Jeff Carter set up Hartnell's eighth goal. Carter skated near the bench-side boards before sliding a backhand pass to an open Hartnell between the top of

Gerald Wallace broke out of his shooting slump with 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, helping the Charlotte Bobcats to the most lopsided victory in team history, 116-81 over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.

Stephen Jackson added 23 points for Charlotte, which held the listless Raptors to 35 percent shooting. The sixth-year Bobcats' previous biggest win was a 32-point rout of Indiana on Nov. 16, 2005.

While Wallace entered as the NBA's third-leading rebounder, he was shooting

The folks who support the Bowl Championship Series like to say it has broadened the interest in college football, making it more of a national sport than the regional game it had been traditionally.

Fair point. The old expression about broken clocks being correct twice a day comes to mind, but there is a great example of what they are talking about this weekend.

No. 11 Oklahoma State is at Oklahoma on Saturday in the latest installment of the Bedlam Rivalry. The Big 12 South has

DeQuan Jones scored a career-high 16 points to pace Miami in a 77-58 victory over Florida Gulf Coast on Wednesday night.

James Dews added 15 on five 3-pointers and Malcolm Grant also scored in double figures with 14 for the Hurricanes (6-0), who are off to best start since 2007-08, when they were 12-0.

Miami went on a 12-2 run to start the game, keyed by a pair of 3-pointers by Dews, and took a 39-23 lead into halftime.

Baskets by Jones and Durand Scott in the opening minute

Toronto 2 2 0_4 Tampa Bay 2 1 0_3 First Period_1, Toronto, Kulemin 4 (Gunnarsson, Primeau), 6:45. 2, Toronto, Hagman 10 (Beauchemin, Gunnarsson), 11:54. 3, Tampa Bay, Meszaros 3 (Downie, Stamkos), 14:14 (pp). 4, Tampa Bay, Lecavalier 5 (Halpern, Tanguay), 14:44. Penalties_Downie, TB (charging), 7:00 White, Tor (tripping), 13:28 Hanson, Tor (roughing), 15:04. Second Period_5, Toronto, Hagman 11 (Grabovski, Exelby), 1:20. 6, Tampa Bay, Malone 15 (Stamkos, St. Louis), 7:51....

Niklas Hagman had two goals and Matt Stajan scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs past the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-3 on Wednesday night.

Nikolai Kulemin also scored to help the Maple Leafs improve to 5-11-7. Rookie defenseman Carl Gunnarsson had three assists in his sixth career NHL game.

Tampa Bay got goals from Andrej Meszaros, Vincent Lecavalier and Ryan Malone. The Lightning, 5-1-4 at home, entered as the last Eastern Conference team

Philadelphia 0 1 1_2 N.Y. Islanders 1 0 0_1 First Period_1, N.Y. Islanders, Hunter 5 (Tavares, Streit), 8:05 (pp). Penalties_Laperriere, Phi, major (fighting), 4:52 Witt, NYI, major (fighting), 4:52 Hartnell, Phi (roughing), 6:53 Pronger, Phi (cross-checking), 17:33 Laperriere, Phi, major (fighting), 19:50 N.Thompson, NYI, major (fighting), 19:50. Second Period_2, Philadelphia, Richards 10 (Giroux, Timonen), 19:26 (pp). Penalties_Carcillo, Phi (interference), 2:48 Bartulis,...

Niclas Bergfors, Patrik Elias and Jamie Langenbrunner scored goals, and Martin Brodeur made 24 saves to help the New Jersey Devils beat the Ottawa Senators 3-1 on Wednesday night.

Andy Greene assisted on both goals as the Devils ended a three-game losing streak.

Milan Michalek scored for the Senators, who had won four in a row _ all at home.

A lucky bounce played a key role on Bergfors' goal at 7:58 of the first period. Greene fired the puck into the Ottawa zone where it took

Justin Tubbs scored a career-best 29 points as East Tennessee State survived a late rally by the College of Charleston to win 77-71 on Wednesday night.

Tubbs had 18 of the first 27 points for the Buccaneers (2-3), who took a 27-16 lead with 6:38 left in the first half and led 40-30 at halftime.

ETSU stayed in front by five points or more until a layup and free throw by Andrew Goudelock with 3:18 remaining brought the Cougars (1-2) within three, 68-65. Goudelock's 23 points led College

Yorel Hawkins scored 16 points to lead five Fairfield players in double figures as the Stags knocked off Howard 81-60 on Wednesday night.

Hawkins, who missed the first four games of the year with appendicitis, scored 18 in his season debut on Monday and was 6-for-10 from the field with four free throws against Howard.

The Stags (4-1), whose only loss was at Maryland, were 16-for-30 from the field (53.3 percent) in the first half, going 6 of 12 from the 3-point line (50 percent), to

Freshman C.J. McCollum scored 20 points and Lehigh used a 10-0 spurt in the second half to hold off St. Francis (Pa.) 76-67 on Wednesday night.

McCollum was just 4-for-13 from the field, but 10-for-10 from the free throw line.

Holden Greiner added 18 points and Marquis Hall had 10 assists for the Mountain Hawks (3-2).

Lehigh fell behind 20-11, then tied the game at 20 and went into halftime with a 35-30 lead. The Mountain Hawks extended their lead to 58-46 with 13:21 left, but

Semyon Varlamov made 25 saves for his first regular-season shutout, Alex Ovechkin scored before drawing a third-period ejection and the Washington Capitals beat the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 on Wednesday night.

Eric Fehr also scored for the Capitals, who had lost four of five. Varlamov, who had two shutouts in the playoffs last spring against the New York Rangers, wasn't severely tested until the third period, when Ovechkin's absence put Washington at a decided disadvantage .

Ovechkin drew

Buffalo 0 0 0_0 Washington 1 0 1_2 First Period_1, Washington, Ovechkin 17 (Schultz), 6:24. Penalties_None. Second Period_None. Penalties_None. Third Period_2, Washington, Fehr 4 (Morrison, Green), 13:38. Penalties_Ovechkin, Was, major-game misconduct (boarding), 3:38 Rivet, Buf (tripping), 4:23 Green, Was (delay of game), 10:50. Shots on Goal_Buffalo 9-6-10_25. Washington 7-9-8_24. Power-play opportunities_Buffalo 0 of 3 Washington 0 of 0. Goalies_Buffalo,...

Ottawa 1 0 0_1 New Jersey 1 1 1_3 First Period_1, New Jersey, Bergfors 6 (Greene, Salvador), 7:58. 2, Ottawa, Michalek 11 (Winchester, Shannon), 12:34. Penalties_Foligno, Ott (holding), 14:33. Second Period_3, New Jersey, Elias 1 (Greene, Langenbrunner), 18:34. Penalties_Carkner, Ott (roughing), :18 Clarkson, NJ (roughing), :18 Carkner, Ott (unsportsmanlike conduct), 6:22 Peters, NJ (roughing), 6:22 Kuba, Ott (tripping), 12:17. Third Period_4, New Jersey, Langenbrunner...

Quinn McDowell scored 11 points, including two free throws down the stretch, and William & Mary defeated Hampton 62-61 on Wednesday night.

The Tribe (3-2) broke a 57-57 tie on a free throw by Danny Sumner with 3:40 left. Steven Hess then put William & Mary ahead 60-57 on a jump shot with 1:44 remaining.

The Pirates (0-4) pulled within one with 1:22 remaining on Charles Funches' jump shot.

With 47 seconds left, McDowell made both of his free throws as the Tribe went ahead

Augustus Gilchrist had 19 points and seven rebounds, leading South Florida to an easy 76-54 victory over Kent State on Wednesday night.

Jarrid Famous had 16 points and eight rebounds and Dominique Jones scored 10 for Bulls. South Florida coach Stan Heath used his bench extensively in the second half against Kent State, a school that gave him his first job as a head coach eight years ago.

South Florida (5-1) scored 19 unanswered points en route to a 24-4 advantage midway through the

Xavier Hansbro scored 21 points and had seven rebounds to lead Georgia State to a 59-52 victory over Utah Valley on Wednesday.

Hansbro scored nine consecutive points on two layups and five free throws as the Panthers (3-3) went on an 11-0 run to build a 43-31 lead with 8:07 left.

Jihad Ali capped the run with a dunk as the Panthers held Utah Valley (1-3) scoreless for a stretch of nearly 10 minutes in the first game of the South Alabama Thanksgiving Tournament.

Jordan Swarbrick

Jantel Lavender scored 27 points and Samantha Prahalis added 13 points and 11 assists to lead No. 3 Ohio State to an 89-56 win over UNC Greensboro on Wednesday night.

Lavender, who stretched her double-figures scoring streak to 72 games, hit 11 of 17 shots from the field and all five free throws, adding seven rebounds and two blocks.

Sarah Schulze added 11 points before the Buckeyes (6-0) rested most of their starters. Outscoring teams by an average of 19 points in the first half,

Justin Stommes hit a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left and scored 17 points to lead Eastern Kentucky to a 74-72 comeback victory over Texas-San Antonio on Wednesday night.

Stommes, who came in averaging 19.5 points per game, scored 14 points in the final 5:52 after not scoring in the first half.

He also had seven assists, including one on Joshua Jones' 3-pointer with 55 seconds left that put the Colonels (4-1) ahead 71-70. The Roadrunners (4-1) regained the lead, 72-71, on Terry Fields'