UNDATED (AP) - Top seeds Syracuse and Kentucky advanced to the third round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, while No. 12 VCU and No. 11 Colorado were the only double-digit seeds to win yesterday. The Orange trailed late in the second half before pulling out a 72-65 win over No. 16 UNC-Asheville before the Wildcats whipped Western Kentucky 81-66. The Rams moved on by downing fifth seed Wichita State 62-59, and the Buffaloes dispatched UNLV 68-64..
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Dwight Howard remains with the Orlando Magic after the center signed papers agreeing to waive the early termination option in his contract. Howard had the option of ending his five-year deal in July and entering the open market, which prompted the Magic to shop him around.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The Portland Trail Blazers have fired head coach Nate McMillan and replaced him with Caleb Kanales on an interim basis. McMillan went 266-269 in six-plus seasons with the Blazers and was let go a day after a 42-point loss at New York. The Blazers have lost seven of their last 10 games to fall out of the Western Conference playoff race at 20-23.
UNDATED (AP) - The Los Angeles Lakers swung a pair of deals just before yesterday's trade deadline. They acquired backup point guard Ramon Sessions and forward Christian Eyenga from Cleveland for forward Luke Walton and a first-round draft pick. The Lakers also sent veteran guard Derek Fisher and Jason Kapono (kah-POH'-noh) to Houston for forward Jordan Hill.
NEW YORK (AP) - Sidney Crosby returned to action for the first time in more than three months and assisted on an insurance goal to help the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers 5-2. It was Crosby's first game since another bout with concussion symptoms forced him to the sidelines on December 5. Evgeni Malkin notched his team-high 39th goal and Matt Cooke scored twice as the Penguins won their 10th in a row to pull within four points of the East-leading Rangers.
