WOMEN’S PAC 12 BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
SEATTLE (AP) – Brittany Wilson scored 17 points but a steal at the final minute may have blunted a last rally by UCLA as ninth-seeded Colorado defeated the eighth-seeded Bruins 76-65 in the opening round of the Pac-12 tournament on Thursday. In a game of streaks, UCLA (13-18) had scored six unanswered points in just over a minute, cutting a 12-point gap in half. Colorado’s Lexy Kresl sank two from the line and on UCLA’s next possession Wilson stole the ball from the hot-shooting Nirra Fields with 1:03 to play. Wilson was fouled and hit two free throws as the lead grew back to 10, 72-62 with 1:02 left.
The win advances Colorado (17-13) to a quarterfinal game with No. 5-ranked and top-seeded Stanford (28-2) on Friday. Fields scored 24 to lead UCLA with Atonye Nyingifa adding 13 and Madeline Brooks 12. Ashley Wilson scored 16 for Colorado and Kresl 14.
WALT WEISS LOSES REPLAY CHALLENGE
PHOEINX (AP) – The Milwaukee Brewers have been involved a replay challenge for the first time this spring, and the review confirmed the umpire’s call that their runner was safe. Colorado Rockies manager Walt Weiss questioned a call on a stolen base by Milwaukee’s Logan Shafer in the sixth inning Thursday. Shafer was ruled safe by second base umpire Jim Wolf. After a review of less than two minutes, the ruling on the field was upheld.
ELSEWHERE IN SPORTS….
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel has a new contract that will boost his annual salary above $3 million and extends his previous deal by three years to the end of 2020. Pinkel guided the Tigers to a seven-win improvement and an appearance in the SEC championship game this past season.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – An NCAA panel has approved a change to the targeting foul that would wipe out the 15-yard penalty when video review overturns the ejection of a player. When a player was flagged for targeting an opponent’s head with a hit, he was disqualified from the game and his team penalized 15 yards. But if the ejection was overturned on review, the 15-yard penalty stood.
NEW YORK (AP) – Kevin Garnett will sit out a fourth straight game because of back spasms Friday when the Brooklyn Nets visit Boston, missing his last trip this season back to his old home. After playing a week ago in Denver, the former Celtics star has since been sidelined for victories over Milwaukee, Chicago and Memphis.
CLEVELAND (AP) – Kicker Billy Cundiff has agreed to terms on a contract extension with the Cleveland Browns. Terms were not immediately available. Cundiff made 21 of 26 field goal attempts last season and also set a franchise record with 42 touchbacks.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Arizona pitcher Bronson Arroyo is expected to miss a week to 10 days because of slightly bulging disk in his back that caused him to be scratched from his scheduled start on Tuesday. The 37-year-old right-hander agreed last month to a $23.5 million, two-year contract. He’s never has been on the disabled list in his professional career.
