KWBG Sports for March 31st

UNDATED (AP) - It's time to play ball, weather permitting. There are six major league openers scheduled for today, including the New York Yankees hosting Detroit at Yankee Stadium and the Atlanta Braves taking on the Washington Nationals in the nation's capital in games where the forecast is for temperatures in the 40s with a chance of rain. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Former New York Yankee Randy Velarde (veh-LAHR'-dee) is the fourth major leaguer to admit drug use during the Barry Bonds' perjury trial. The 48-year-old Velarde testified that he purchased human growth hormone from Bonds' personal trainer throughout the 2002 season to give him more "endurance and strength." COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio State coach Jim Tressel is apologizing for letting people down and says he knows some people may view him as a cheater in the wake of NCAA violations that resulted in a five-game suspension. Tressel says he believes players will still listen to him when he returns to the sidelines, even though his character has been sullied by what he referred to as "mistakes." NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Knicks' magic number for clinching a playoff berth in the NBA is three. Carmelo Anthony poured in 39 for the second straight game and Chauncey Billups added 33 points, six rebounds and six assists in the Knicks' 120-116 win over New Jersey last night. ATLANTA (AP) - The Atlanta Hawks say Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins was allegedly attacked by a fan after their 85-82 victory over the Orlando Magic, but was not hurt. Wilkins is a Hawks vice president and TV analyst and a team spokesman says the fan was promptly arrested and taken into custody by the Atlanta police department.

KWBG Sports for March 30th

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Colorado Rockies first baseman Jason Giambi (jee-AHM'-bee) and his brother testified yesterday that Barry Bonds' personal trainer supplied them with performance-enhancing drugs. Giambi said trainer Greg Anderson suggested after the 2002 season that he change the type of steroids he was using since a blood test showed traces of a performance-enhancer about to be banned by Major League Baseball. Giambi said he paid Anderson a total of about $10,000 for several shipments of steroids known as "the clear" and "the cream." LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Chad Billingsley has accepted a four-year contract worth about $41.3 million that adds $35 million in guaranteed money over the final three seasons. Billingsley agreed in January to a one-year contract worth over $6.2 million after going 12-11 with a 3.57 ERA last season. He's 59-41 with a 3.55 earned run average since breaking into the majors in 2006. PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Phillies closer Brad Lidge is expected to miss three to six weeks after an MRI exam Tuesday showed he has a strained right shoulder. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said yesterday that Jose Contreras likely would open the season as the team's closer, although setup man Ryan Madson is another option for Manuel. ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - The Sacramento Kings are closer to moving downstate after the Anaheim city council unanimously approved a $75 million bond deal to entice the NBA team to relocate to Orange County. Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait repeatedly emphasized the city has no financial risk in the deal, saying Anaheim is a conduit for a private investment by Henry Samueli, the billionaire owner of the NHL's Anaheim Ducks. The Kings have until April 18 to file for relocation. UNDATED (AP) - Connecticut is back in the NCAA women's Final Four for the fourth straight year after the two-time defending champs pounded Duke 75-40. Maya (MY'-uh) Moore scored 28 points and became the seventh player in Division-One history to pass 3,000 points for her career. Texas A&M reached the semifinals for the first time as Sydney Carter scored 22 points in a 58-46 triumph over Baylor.

KWBG Sports for March 29th

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - NFL players are defending their decision to disband the union, saying employers cannot force workers to form a union. The players are asking a federal judge to halt a lockout imposed by owners through an injunction. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - With the Barry Bonds perjury trial entering its second week, his former mistress has testified that he blamed a 1999 elbow injury on steroid use. Kimberly Bell also told the jury of eight women and four men that the body and behavior of baseball's home run king changed during their nine-year relationship. TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Yankees left-hander Pedro Feliciano expects to miss two weeks because of upper arm-shoulder soreness. Feliciano says he still feels discomfort in his pitching arm, but that it shouldn't take an extended period for the injury to heal. UNDATED (AP) - The annual Associated Press All-America team has been named with BYU's high-scoring Jimmer Fredette (freh-DEHT') leading the way with fellow seniors Nolan Smith of Duke and JuJuan Johnson of Purdue. Connecticut's Kemba Walker and Jared Sullinger of Ohio State round out the first squad. UNDATED (AP) - The women's NCAA basketball tournament resumes tonight with two regional championship games in Dayton and Spokane. In Dayton, Tennessee and Notre Dame are tied at 13 early while later in Spokane, it'll be Stanford and Gonzaga.

KWBG Sports for March 28th

UNDATED (AP) - If you've got this Final Four in your office pool, take a bow. It's Virginia Commonwealth against Butler and Kentucky vs. Connecticut in next Saturday's NCAA men's semifinals in Houston. SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Virginia Commonwealth continued its magical run as giant-killers by upsetting Kansas 71-61. Jamie Skeen scored 26 for the 11th-seeded Rams, who knocked out the last remaining No. 1 seed in the NCAA field. NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Fourth-seeded Kentucky restored some order by reaching its first Final Four since 1998. The Wildcats got 22 points from Brandon Knight and beat second-seed North Carolina 76-69 to win the East Regional. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee has turned to 39-year-old Cuonzo (KWAHN'-zoh) Martin as its new basketball coach and to restore integrity to the Vols' storied program. Martin, who went 61-41 in three seasons at Missouri State, replaces Bruce Pearl, who was fired a week ago after being charged with unethical conduct for lying to NCAA investigators. FONTANA, Calif. (AP) - Kevin Harvick passed five-time NASCAR driving champ Jimmie Johnson on the final turn to win his first race of the season Sunday at Auto Club Speedway for his 15th career win. Johnson finished second and Kyle Busch third.

KWBG Sports at a Glance for March 25th

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Fifth-seeded Arizona stunned West
top-seed Duke 93-77 as Derrick Williams scored a career-high 32.
The Wildcats will play Connecticut, which topped San Diego State
74-67 behind Kemba Walker's 36, in Saturday's West regional final.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Florida ended BYU's dream season with an
83-74 overtime victory behind 19 points and a career-high 17 boards
by Alex Tyus. The Gators move on to play Butler, which eliminated
Wisconsin, 61-54, in the Southeast regional final on Saturday.

UNDATED (AP) - There are four more regional semifinals tonight.
North Carolina plays Marquette and Ohio State takes on Kentucky in
the East regional semifinals in Newark, N.J., while in the
Southwest regional in San Antonio, it's Kansas vs. Richmond and
Florida State against upstart Virginia Commonwealth.

DALLAS (AP) - Dirk Nowitzki noh-VIHT'-skee) had 30 points and 11
rebounds, Jason Terry added 18 points and the Dallas Mavericks
rallied in the fourth quarter for a 104-96 victory over the
Minnesota Timberwolves. That gives the Mavs 50 wins for the 11th
straight season.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - In last night's only other NBA game, Emeka
Okafor (eh-MEH'-kuh OH'-kuh-fohr) banked in a 20-footer at the
regulation buzzer to force overtime, and reserve Aaron Gray scored
six points in OT to lead the New Orleans Hornets to a 121-117
victory over the Utah Jazz. David West scored 29 points for the
Hornets before leaving late with a knee injury.

KWBG Sports for March 24th

UNDATED (AP) - After a three-day break, the NCAA men's
tournament resumes tonight with the round of 16. Jimmer Fredette
(freh-DEHT'), who's averaging 33 points a game in the tourney,
leads his third-seeded BYU Cougars against Florida while Duke, top
seed in the West, takes on Arizona among four games tonight.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) - Dwyane (dwayn) Wade scored 24 points
and Chris Bosh added 23 to help the Miami Heat rallied from 11 down
in the third quarter for a 100-94 win over the Detroit Pistons last
night. LeBron James had 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists
for Miami, which has won six of seven following a five-game losing
streak.

NEW YORK (AP) - Dwight Howard had 33 points and 11 rebounds, and
the Orlando Magic won their fourth straight and sent the New York
Knicks tumbling below .500 with a 111-99 victory. Carmelo Anthony
had 24 points for the Knicks, who've lost four straight and seven
of eight.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A key government witness in the Barry Bonds
perjury trial testified yesterday that he saw the home run king's
personal trainer leave Bonds' bedroom at spring training with a
syringe in 2000. Steve Hoskins said that when he saw Bonds and his
personal trainer, Greg Anderson, coming out of the master bedroom
he assumed Anderson had injected the star player with steroids.

WILMINGTON, Mass. (AP) - Zdeno Chara (ZAY'-noh CHAH'-rah) says
he doesn't know if the Canadiens will try to get back at him for
his hit that seriously injured Montreal forward Max Pacioretty
(pahk-OHR'-eht-ee) two weeks ago. The Boston Bruins will face the
Canadiens tonight for the first time since Pacioretty suffered a
concussion and a fractured vertebra when Chara checked him into a
stanchion supporting the glass partition between the teams'
benches.

KWBG Sports for March 23rd

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Kobe Bryant scored 42 points, Ron Artest
(ahr-TEHST') got five of his 18 points in the final 2 minutes of
the third overtime, and the L.A. Lakers outlasted the Phoenix Suns,
139-137. Lamar Odom had a season-high 29 points and 16 rebounds in
the Lakers' 13th win in 14 games since the All-Star break.

CHICAGO (AP) - The torrid Chicago Bulls have regained the NBA
Eastern Conference lead by a half-game over idle Boston. The Bulls
trounced Atlanta 114-81 for their 10th win in 11 games as league
MVP candidate Derrick Rose poured in 30 points and dished out 10
assists.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - On NHL ice, the Washington Capitals survived
losing a three-goal lead to beat Philadelphia 5-4 in a shootout to
climb within one point of the Eastern Conference-leading Flyers.
Alexander Semin (SEHM'-ihn) got the deciding goal in the shootout.

UNDATED (AP) - Top-seed Connecticut has reached the NCAA women's
Sweet 16 for the 18th straight season after routing Purdue 64-40
behind Tiffany Hayes' 23 points. Baylor, the other top seed in
action last night, also made the Sweet 16 by beating West Virginia
82-68.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - During yesterday's opening arguments at the
Barry Bonds' perjury trial, Bonds' attorneys tried to convince the
jury of eight women and four men that Bonds thought he was taking
flax seed oil and arthritis cream when his personal trainer gave
him steroids. Prosecutors labeled that defense as "ridiculous and
unbelievable."

KWBG Sports at a Glance for March 22nd

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Bruce Pearl, the Tennessee men's
basketball coach the past six seasons, has been fired following a
season that saw the coach charged with unethical conduct for lying
to NCAA investigators during a probe into recruiting. Pearl will
get close to a $1 million settlement as part of his dismissal
agreement.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Florida guard Kenny Boynton sat out
yesterday's practice because of a sprained left ankle, but should
be able to play Thursday night against Brigham Young in the NCAA
tournament. Boynton plays a key role for the Gators as he draws the
defensive assignment on BYU's Jimmer Fredette (freh-DEHT'), the
nation's leading scorer who is averaging 33 points a game during
the NCAA tournament for the third-seeded Cougars.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Tim Duncan is hurting at the worst possible
time of the NBA season. As his San Antonio Spurs prepare for a deep
playoff run, the 34-year-old All-Star center is out indefinitely
with a sprained ankle suffered in last night's 111-96 win over
Golden State.

UNDATED (AP) - The Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics remain tied
atop the Eastern Conference of the NBA. The Bulls posted their
first 50-victory season since the 1997-98 campaign by routing
Sacramento 132-92 while the Boston Celtics were scoring the final
10 points of game to beat the New York Knicks 96-86 at Madison
Square Garden.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Barry Bonds' legal fate will be decided by
eight women and four men selected as the jury picked to hear the
federal government's case against the 46-year-old former San
Francisco Giants star. Bonds is charged with four counts of lying
to a grand jury and one count of obstruction for testifying in 2003
that he never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs.

KWBG Sports for March 21st

UNDATED (AP) - Double-digit seeds Virginia Commonwealth,
Marquette and Florida State have moved into the regional semifinals
of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Bradford Burgess scored 23
points as VCU beat Purdue 94-76, and Darius Johnson-Odom drained
the tiebreaking three-pointer in the final minute to lead the
Golden Eagles to a 66-62 win over Syracuse. Bernard James had 14
points and 10 rebounds for the Seminoles in a 71-57 pounding of
Notre Dame.

UNDATED (AP) - Top seeds Ohio State, Kansas and Duke were
third-round winners in the NCAA men's tournament yesterday. David
Lighty hit seven three-pointers and scored 25 points as Ohio State
ripped George Mason 98-66. Nolan Smith had 24 points as top-seed
Duke held off a late rally to beat Michigan 73-71 before Markieff
Morris provided 24 points and 12 rebounds to help Kansas oust
Illinois 73-59.

UNDATED (AP) - North Carolina and Arizona won close games to
earn spots in the NCAA regional semifinals. Tyler Zeller scored 23
points and the Tar Heels turned an 11-point deficit into an 86-83
win over Washington. The Wildcats were 70-69 winners over Texas as
Derrick Williams converted a go-ahead three-point play with 9.6
seconds left.

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) - Kyle Busch completed a Bristol sweep by
winning yesterday's Sprint Cup race, one day after capturing the
Nationwide Series event. Carl Edwards was second, followed by
Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Paul Menard.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) - Gary Woodland closed with a 4-under-par
67 to capture the Transitions Championship in Florida. Woodland
finished 15-under, one shot ahead of Webb Simpson and three better
than Scott Stallings. Third-round leader Justin Rose fired a 3-over
74 to finish in a six-way tie for fifth at minus-10.

KWBG Sports for March 18th

DENVER (AP) - Eleventh-seed Gonzaga in the Southeast, 12th-seed
Richmond and 13th-seed Morehead State in the Southwest all pulled
upsets yesterday and are still alive in the NCAA men's basketball
tourney. Denver was also the site of Jimmer-mania, as the nation's
leading scorer Jimmer Fredette (freh-DEHT') led third-seed Brigham
Young past Wofford (WAHF'-urd) 74-66 to set up a third-round
matchup against Gonzaga on Saturday.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - The Chicago Bulls, riding their longest win
streak in six years, are back on top in the NBA's Eastern
Conference. Derrick Rose scored 21 points and the Bulls won their
eighth in a row, 84-73 over New Jersey, to take a half-game lead
over Boston in the race for best record in the East.

NEW YORK (AP) - NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (guh-DEHL') is
telling all active NFL players that the sport is "at risk." In an
e-mail, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press,
Goodell tells players that "each passing day puts our game and our
shared economics further at risk" and urges the players to return
to the bargaining table.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon grabbed Yogi
Berra after the former Yankee great stumbled on the protective
carpet by the batting cage before last night's exhibition game. A
week ago, Berra was released from a hospital after the 85-year-old
tripped and fell in the Yankees' clubhouse before a spring training
game in Clearwater, Fla.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Now that the NCAA has finalized its ruling
that five Ohio State football players who took improper benefits
are suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season, Buckeyes
coach Jim Tressel says he wants the same punishment. Last night,
the NCAA denied Ohio State's appeal on behalf of the players
including star quarterback Terrelle (teh-REHL') Pryor.

KWBG Sports for March 17th

UNDATED (AP) - Now that the field is down to 64, the NCAA men's
basketball tournament begins in earnest with 16 games in four
regions around the nation. Pittsburgh, the top seed in the
Southeast, is the only No. 1 seed in action today when the Panthers
play first-round winner North Carolina-Asheville in Washington,
D.C.

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) - Virginia Commonwealth and Texas-San Antonio
played their way into the field with first-round victories last
night. The Rams move on to play Georgetown on Friday while
Texas-San Antonio draws top overall seed Ohio State, the No. 1 seed
in the East, Friday in Cleveland.

DENVER (AP) - Welcome to Jimmer Time, the March Madness edition.
From the White House to the Rocky Mountains and beyond, Jimmer
Fredette (freh-DEHT') of Brigham Young is capturing imaginations
heading into the NCAA tournament against Wofford (WAHF'-urd)
tonight with even President Barack Obama calling the nation's
leading scorer "unbelievable."

BOSTON (AP) - Jeff Green scored 13 of his 19 points in the
second quarter and the Boston Celtics coasted to a 92-80 victory
over Indiana to move back into a first-place tie in the Eastern
Conference. The victory left the Celtics and Chicago Bulls with the
same record in the race for home-court advantage through the
Eastern Conference playoffs.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The Sacramento Kings have taken yet
another step toward a potential move to Southern California. A
Sacramento attorney representing the team's owners filed for at
least four federal trademark registrations this month as they
explore a move to Anaheim.

KWBG Sports for March 16th

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) - The madness of March got a dramatic
jump-start in the new 68-team NCAA tournament format as Matt Dickey
and J.P. Primm scored 22 each in North Carolina-Asheville's 81-77
overtime victory over Arkansas-Little Rock. The 20-13 Bulldogs will
now travel to Washington, D.C. to play Pittsburgh, top seed in the
Southeast, on Thursday afternoon.

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) - Clemson downed Alabama-Birmingham 70-52 in
the other first-round game behind a career-best 22 from Jerai
(zherh-RAY') Grant in the other first-round game in Dayton. That
sends 12th-seed Clemson into a second-round game against
fifth-seeded West Virginia on Thursday afternoon in Tampa, Fla.

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) - The final two games of the new 68-team NCAA
tourney format will be played tonight in Dayton. Texas-San Antonio
takes on Alabama State followed by Southern California against
Virginia Commonwealth.

MONTREAL (AP) - Marcus Johansson (yoh-HAHN'-sihn) scored twice
and Mike Knuble (kuh-NOO'-bul) added Washington's second power-play
goal and the Capitals extended their winning streak to nine games
with a 4-2 victory over Montreal. Caps backup goalie Braden Holtby
stopped 24 shots for his fifth straight win.

CHICAGO (AP) - The Chicago Bulls haven't been in first place in
the NBA's Eastern Conference this late in the season since Michael
Jordan was leading the team to their sixth NBA championship in
1998. The Bulls moved a half-game ahead of Boston last night with a
98-79 win over Washington, their seventh straight win.

KWBG Sports for March 15th

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) - The 68-team NCAA men's basketball tournament
gets under way tonight in Dayton with the so-called "first four"
tipping it off. UNC-Asheville takes on Arkansas Little Rock
followed by Alabama-Birmingham playing Clemson in another
first-round game.

UNDATED (AP) - The 64-team NCAA women's field is out with
defending national champion Connecticut, Tennessee, Baylor and
Stanford the No. 1 seeds in the tournament that begins Saturday.
The Huskies will be trying for their third consecutive title when
the women's tourney concludes April 5 in Indianapolis.

MIAMI (AP) - In a possible preview of the NBA Finals, the Miami
Heat mounted one of their most impressive performances of the
season in routing San Antonio 110-80 last night. Chris Bosh led the
way with 30 points and 12 rebounds with Dwyane (dwayn) Wade scoring
29.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - The lowly New Jersey Nets are riding their
longest win streak of the season, five games. Brook Lopez scored 20
in an 88-79 win over the Boston Celtics.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - Olympic figure skating champion
Evan Lysacek (LY'-suh-chehk) won the 2010 Sullivan Award as the top
amateur athlete in the United States. The Sullivan Award has been
handed out since 1930 to the most outstanding U.S. amateur athlete
of the year based on athletic accomplishments, leadership skills,
character and sportsmanship.

KWBG Sports for March 14th

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Top-ranked Ohio State will be staying
close to home in the NCAA tournament. The 33-2 Buckeyes, who
captured the Big Ten tournament title 71-60 over Penn State, are
the No. 1 seed in the East Region - and No. 1 overall - and will
play the winner of Texas-San Antonio-Alabama State at Cleveland's
Quicken Loans Arena in a second-round game on Friday.

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) - Defending national champion Duke beat
rival North Carolina 75-68 and was rewarded with the No. 1 seed in
the West regional of the NCAA tournament. Duke won't have to leave
the state of North Carolina for the opening weekend, opening NCAA
tournament play against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champ
Hampton in the second round Friday in Charlotte.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - Fresh off one of its most impressive
performances of the season, Kansas received the No. 1 seed in the
Southwest Regional of the NCAA tournament, and will play America
East champion Boston University in its opening game. The Jayhawks
are coming off a convincing 83-75 win over Texas in the Big 12
Championship game.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - An early exit from the Big East tournament
didn't prevent Pittsburgh from getting a top seed in the NCAA
tournament. The Panthers are the No. 1 seed in the Southeast Region
and will open Thursday in Washington, D.C., against the winner of
Tuesday's first-round game between North Carolina-Asheville and
Arkansas-Little Rock.

DORAL, Fla. (AP) - Nick Watney is $1.4 million richer today. The
29-year-old American rallied to shoot a final-round 67 and edge
Dustin Johnson by two shots to win the World Golf Championship's
Cadillac Championship at the Blue Monster at Doral.

KWBG Sports for March 11th

WASHINGTON (AP) - The NFL and its players union are racing
against a 5 p.m. (Eastern time) deadline today when their
twice-extended deadline for a new collective bargaining agreement
expires. Both sides are far apart and officials from each side
yesterday questioned whether the other side had a serious
commitment to end the stalemate.

MIAMI (AP) - The Miami Heat's season-long five-game losing
streak is over, and so is the L.A. Lakers' eight-game win streak.
Dwyane (dwayn) Wade made a key late steal on Kobe Bryant and scored
eight of his 20 points in the fourth quarter of Miami's 94-88 win
over the L.A. Lakers in a victory that clinches a playoff berth for
the Heat.

NEW YORK (AP) - It's a replay of that six-overtime classic two
years ago in the Big East tournament when 11th-ranked Syracuse
plays Connecticut tonight in one Big East semifinal. Fourth-ranked
Notre Dame, fresh off its 38-point dismantling of 25th-ranked
Cincinnati last night, plays 14th-ranked Louisville in tonight's
other Big East semifinal.

BOSTON (AP) - Fallout over hockey violence is escalating as
Montreal police say they have started a criminal investigation into
the on-ice hit by Boston's Zdeno Chara (zeh-DAY'-noh CHAH'-ruh)
that left the Canadiens' Max Pacioretty (pah-KOHR'-eht-tee) with a
severe concussion and cracked vertebra. Plus, Air Canada informed
the NHL it is thinking about withdrawing its sponsorship unless the
league cleans up the game.

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Eighth-ranked BYU struggled in the Cougars'
64-58 win over TCU, a team that entered the Mountain West
Conference tournament on a 13-game losing streak. Now the Cougars
get a chance to turn the tables on unranked New Mexico in tonight's
Mountain West semifinals after the Lobos beat BYU twice during the
regular season.

KWBG Sports for March 10th

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Kevin Love is the NBA's new king of
double-doubles. The big Minnesota forward overcame a bruised knee
to put up 16 points and 21 rebounds in Minnesota's 101-75 win over
Indiana to surpass Moses Malone's record with his 52nd straight
double-double performance.

BOSTON (AP) - The Boston Celtics ran into a hot L.A. Clippers
team winning their fourth in a row, 108-103 at the expense of the
NBA Eastern Conference leaders. Mo Williams scored 28 to offset a
sub-par night from Blake Griffin, who was held to 12 points on
4-of-14 shooting.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Carmelo Anthony made a 19-footer with less
than a second left as the New York Knicks withstood a late Memphis
rally and beat the Grizzlies 110-108. Anthony finished with 31
points.

WASHINGTON (AP) - It's the next-to-last day before the NFL's
collective bargaining agreement extension is do to expire, and
there's very little progress to report. The sides are set to meet
today for the 15th day of negotiations under the auspices of a
federal mediator.

UNDATED (AP) - Northeast Conference winner Long Island
University and Big Sky Conference champion Northern Colorado are
latest two teams to win automatic bids into the 68-team NCAA men's
basketball tournament that starts next Tuesday. Already 13 teams
have played their way into the big dance.

KWBG Sports for March 9th

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Princeton and Harvard are set for their
toughest test yet: A one-game playoff for the Ivy League
championship that sends the winner to the NCAA tournament.
The Tigers forced a tie for the title and the playoff with a
70-58 win over Penn. Princeton and Harvard will play Saturday at
Yale's John J. Lee Amphitheater in New Haven, Conn., in a one-game
playoff for the league's automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.
It will be the seventh playoff in Ivy history.

UNDATED (AP) - Eleven teams have now earned bids to the 68-team
NCAA men's tournament that starts next week, including three
conference tournament winners Tuesday night:
- Butler, last year's national runner-up, is going back to the
NCAA tournament. Matt Howard scored 18 points to lead Butler to a
59-44 victory over Wisconsin-Milwaukee for its third Horizon League
tournament title in the past four years.
- Solomon Bozeman's deep 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds remaining
gave Arkansas-Little Rock a 64-63 win over North Texas for the Sun
Belt title and sent the Trojans to the NCAA tournament for the
first time in 21 years.
- Keith Benson scored 28 points and Reggie Hamilton had 26
points to lead Oakland, Mich., past Oral Roberts 90-76 to repeat as
the Summit League champion.


COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel
(TREH'-sehl) is being suspended for two games and fined $250,000
for violating NCAA rules. He failed to notify the school about
information he received involving two players, and questionable
activities involving Buckeye memorabilia.
Tressel also will receive a public reprimand and must make a
public apology. But his job is not in jeopardy.
Last December, the NCAA suspended five players, including
quarterback Terrelle (tuh-REHL') Pryor, for the first five games of
the 2011 season for selling items such as jerseys and championship
rings to the owner of a tatoo establishment in Columbus.
Tressel says he's "sorry and disappointed" in the way he
handled the matter, and says he will learn from this experience.


WASHINGTON (AP) - The clock is ticking toward Friday's deadline
to hammer out a new labor agreement between the NFL and the NFL
Players Association.
Both sides were at the mediation table Tuesday for a 13th day of
talks.
The current collective bargaining agreement was set to expire
last week, but two extensions now have pushed the cutoff to the end
of Friday.
While progress has been made, both sides have stuck to their
stances when it comes to two central issues: The NFLPA has not
agreed to any major economic concessions; the NFL has not agreed to
the union's long-held demand that the league completely open its
books, repeatedly saying the players have enough data.


EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Former New York Giants running back
Tiki (TEE'-kee) Barber is looking at a comeback four years after
retiring from the NFL. The 35-year old is the Giants all-time
leading rusher, but the team says Barber will be released once he's
taken off the retirement list.
Barber's television career fizzled, and in 2010 the New York
Post reported he was broke and couldn't pay his divorce settlement.

KWBG Sports for March 8th

UNDATED (AP) - St. Peter's won the Metro Atlantic Athletic
Conference title, Virginia Commonwealth is the repeat winner of the
Colonial Athletic Association, Wofford (WAHF'-urd) won its second
straight Southern Conference crown and Gonzaga took the West Coast
Conference to earn automatic bids into the NCAA men's basketball
tournament. They joined Belmont, Indiana State, Morehead State, and
UNC Asheville in the 68-team NCAA field that begins play a week
from tonight.

WASHINGTON (AP) - More talks are scheduled for today between the
NFL and its players union. Both sides are racing against a Friday
deadline in order to avoid the NFL's first work stoppage since
1987.

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) - The Oakland Raiders have named Chuck
Bresnahan their new defensive coordinator just weeks after bringing
him back for a second stint with the organization. Bresnahan
coached the Raiders' defensive backs in 1998-99 before becoming
defensive coordinator for four seasons.

HOLLAND, Mich. (AP) - A west Michigan high school basketball
team has won its first game since a star player collapsed after
scoring the winning basket to give his team a perfect
regular-season record. There was a moment of silence before
Fennville improved to 21-0 with a 65-54 win in the first game for
Fennville since 16-year-old junior Wes Leonard died of a heart
ailment last Thursday.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Alex Ovechkin (oh-VECH'-kin) assisted on
Washington's only goal in regulation, then scored in the opening
round of the shootout to give the first-place Capitals a 2-1
victory over slumping Tampa Bay. The Lightning lost for the fourth
straight game and fell two points back of the Caps in the Southeast
Division race.

KWBG Sports for March 7th

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Carl Edwards held off Tony Stewart to win the
Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Stewart led a
race-high 166 laps but was penalized for leaving his pit stall with
the air hose still attached to his Chevrolet before he took four
tires on his final pit while the rest of the contenders took two.
Juan Pablo Montoya was third, followed by Marcos Ambrose and Ryan
Newman.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) - Rory Sabbatini hung on for a
one-stroke victory over Y.E. Yang at the Honda Classic after
carrying a five-shot lead into the final round. Sabbatini sank a
2-foot par putt on the final hole for an even-par 70 and a 9-under
total. It was his sixth PGA title and first since the 2009 Byron
Nelson Classic.

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Aaron Carter scored 15 points and Indiana State
held top seed Missouri State to 30.5 percent shooting in a 60-56
victory in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament final
yesterday. Jake Kelly hit two clinching free throws with 1.4
seconds to go for the Sycamores, who shot 50 percent and earned
their first NCAA tournament berth since 2001.

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) - Eighth-ranked Andy Roddick defeated No.
165 Paul Capdeville 3-6, 7-6, 6-3, 6-3 to give the United States an
insurmountable 3-1 lead in their first-round Davis Cup matchup with
Chile. Roddick is now 12-0 in matches that can clinch a Davis Cup
tie for the U.S. The Americans will play Spain in the quarterfinal
round in July in the U.S.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Chicago White Sox All-Star reliever Matt
Thornton has agreed to a new $12 million, two-year extension
through the 2013 season. The 34-year-old left-hander went 5-4 with
a 2.67 ERA and a career-high eight saves last season.

KWBG Sports for March 4th

WASHINGTON (AP) - The NFL and the players' union have agreed to
a 24-hour extension of the current collective bargaining agreement
while both sides try to avoid the NFL's first labor stoppage since
1987. Even President Barack Obama weighed in, saying he believes
"that for an industry that's making $9 billion a year in revenue,
they can figure out how to divide it up in a sensible way."

MIAMI (AP) - The Orlando Magic roared back from a 24-point
second-half deficit to stun Miami 99-96 for the Magic's biggest
comeback this season. Orlando won it with long-distance shooting,
going 16 of 29 from beyond the arc as the Magic went on a late 40-9
burst led by Jason Richardson's 24 points.

BOSTON (AP) - Milan Lucic (LOO'-chich) broke a 1-all tie on a
goal with 3:42 left and the Boston Bruins won their seventh
straight and moved alone into second place in the Eastern
Conference with a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tim Thomas
had 27 saves for the Bruins, who have allowed five goals in their
past five games.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Michael Phelps posted the fastest times in
the world this year in both of his events at the Indianapolis Grand
Prix. Phelps won the 200-meter freestyle in 1 minute, 46.27
seconds, and the 100 butterfly in 51.75 seconds.

PROVO, Utah (AP) - BYU coach Dave Rose is vowing his Cougars
will recover from twin challenges that put a damper on their
standout season this week. The third-ranked Cougars are reeling
after leading rebounder Brandon Davies was kicked off the team
Tuesday for violating the university's honor code and an ugly 82-64
loss to New Mexico on Wednesday - the worst setback by a team
ranked in the AP top-three in six years.

KWBG Sports for March 3rd

WASHINGTON (AP) - The clock is ticking on a midnight deadline
tonight when the current collective bargaining agreement expires
between the NFL and its players union. Both sides are scheduled to
resume talks this morning on the 10th day of negotiations before
the federal mediator with no reports of significant progress.

PROVO, Utah (AP) - Third-ranked BYU stumbled in its first game
since forward Brandon Davies, the Cougars' leading rebounder and
third-leading scorer, was kicked off the team for an honor code
violation. Unranked New Mexico spanked the Cougars 82-64 to sweep
the season series with BYU despite a game-high 33 points from
Jimmer Fredette (freh-DEHT'), the nation's leading scorer.

UNDATED (AP) - Fourth-ranked Duke and 13th-ranked North Carolina
warmed up for their Saturday night showdown for first place in the
ACC with victories last night. Duke topped Clemson 70-59 while
freshman Harrison Barnes' 3-pointer from the top of the key with 3
seconds to play gave the Tar Heels a 72-70 victory at Florida
State.

CLEVELAND (AP) - George Hill tied a season high with 22 points,
and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-99 to
become the first NBA team to reach 50 wins. Tim Duncan scored 16
points and DeJuan Blair had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the
Spurs, who bounced back from a 109-93 loss to Memphis on Tuesday.

CHICAGO (AP) - Jonathan Toews (tayvz) scored two goals and the
Chicago Blackhawks held off the Calgary Flames 6-4 to run their
winning streak to a season-high six games. Brian Campbell, Michael
Frolik, Dave Bolland and Marian Hossa also scored for surging
defending Stanley Cup champions, who are 8-1-2 in their last 11.

KWBG Sports for March 2nd

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Darrell Arthur and Zach Randolph scored 21
apiece and the Memphis Grizzlies took advantage of poor ball
handling by San Antonio to defeat the Spurs 109-93 last night. The
49-11 Spurs were playing their first game without starting point
guard Tony Parker, who is expected to miss two to four weeks with a
leg injury.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Los Angeles Lakers are on a five-game
winning streak following their 90-79 win at Minnesota. Kobe Bryant
led the way with 24 and Pau Gasol added 12 points and 17 boards for
the Lakers, who won despite shooting just 37.5 percent from the
field.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A federal judge backed the NFL players' union
over the league yesterday in a dispute over television revenue with
implications for the looming potential lockout. U.S. District Judge
David Doty ruled that the league violated its agreement with the
union in carving out $4 billion for itself in additional TV
revenue, money the union says the owners are stockpiling to prepare
for a lockout.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The NFL and the players' union met for the
eighth day since a federal mediator joined the talks. The current
collective bargaining agreement expires at midnight as Thursday
becomes Friday on the East Coast.

OTTAWA (AP) - In the NHL, the Boston Bruins completed a 6-0 road
trip by blanking Ottawa 1-0 as Tuukka (TOO'-kuh) Rask made 33 saves
for his second shutout. Boston's 6-0 trip matched the team's
longest perfect trip since 1971-72, when the eventual Stanley Cup
champions won six straight that season on the road as well.

KWBG Sports for March 1st

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Kansas State is starting to look like a
team nobody wants to play in the NCAA tournament. Rodney McGruder
scored 22 and Jacob Pullen scored 16 of his 20 points in the second
half in leading unranked Kansas State to a 75-70 upset of
seventh-ranked Texas on the Longhorns' home court.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Tim Abromaitis made a career-high nine
3-pointers and scored 30 points and Ben Hansbrough added 30 points
and 10 assists in No. 8 Notre Dame's 93-72 rout of No. 19 Villanova
that secured a double bye in the Big East tournament. The Irish
finished their home season with a perfect 17-0 mark.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Luol Deng (LOO'-ul dehng) and Derrick Rose
scored 21 points apiece, Joakim Noah (JOH'-keem NOH'-ah) had 19 and
the Chicago Bulls beat the Washington Wizards 105-77 to move within
a game of the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls never
trailed as they won their third straight and seven of eight.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Channing Frye hit a 3-pointer with 6.6
seconds to play in overtime and the Phoenix Suns spoiled Deron
(DAHR'-ihn) Williams' home debut for the Nets with a 104-103
victory over New Jersey. Williams had 13 points and a season-high
18 assists in the loss.

UNDATED (AP) - The Los Angeles Kings made the biggest move of
NHL trade deadline day by prying forward Dustin Penner away from
the Edmonton Oilers. Penner was the main marquee player to change
teams in what was an out-of-character slow deadline day in the NHL.