Huge Second Half Propels Spurs Over Hornets

Game 4 in San Antonio is set for Sunday.

(SAN ANTONIO) - Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker each poured in 31 points as San Antonio overcame a 35-point effort by Chris Paul to beat New Orleans 110-99 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals series at the AT&T Center on Thursday.

The Spurs entered Thursday's game trailing 2-0 after lackluster efforts in the two previous meetings in New Orleans. San Antonio trailed at the half by two points in this one before Ginobili and Parker ignited things in the second half.

Celtics Cruise Past Cavs to Take 2-0 Series Lead

The Celtics defense was -- again -- the star of this game, causing another less-than-stellar outing from LeBron James.

(BOSTON) - Ray Allen and Paul Pierce finally made their presences felt in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, helping the Celtics crush the Cleveland Cavaliers 89-73 in Game 2 on Thursday to give Boston a 2-0 series lead.

Pierce energized the Celts' offense early on at The Garden, and finished with 19 points and six rebounds before retiring to the bench early in what was pretty much a blowout from the second quarter.

Western Oregon Blanks Cal State Stanislaus

Katie Fleer improved to 20-5 on the year and tossed her fourth shutout of the season.

(ARCATA, Calif.) - Katie Fleer tossed a six-hit shutout and laced two hits to help her own cause as the Western Oregon Wolves moved to 2-0 in the NCAA Division II west region softball championships with a 4-0 victory over Cal State Stanislaus.

The Wovles got on the board in the third inning when Jessica Hallmark looped a single to centerfield to score Tyler Sutherland. WOU then blew the game open in the fifth inning with three runs on four hits and a Warrior error.

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Linfield Splits at NCAA D-III West Tournament

The loss to second-ranked Louisiana College drops the Wildcats into an elimination game Friday morning at noon Central Time against Chapman.

(McMINNVILLE, Ore. ) - Linfield’s plan for a repeat of last season’s NCAA Division III national championship absorbed a blow across the bow from Louisiana College Thursday night at the West Regional playoff tournament, hosted by the University of Tyler-Texas.

The Lady Wildcats (40-5), from Pineville, La., rode the arm of freshman pitcher Kelly Williams to a 4-0 shutout victory. Earlier in the day, Linfield topped Redlands 1-0 in eight innings, getting a fortunate call by the home plate umpire to win the game.

Another Honor for Willamette's Franchi

Katie Peterson (So., Independence, OR/Central HS) of Willamette, who played right field for the Bearcats, was named Second Team All-Region.

(SALEM, Ore. ) - Willamette University right-handed pitcher and designated player Nikki Franchi (Jr., Los Gatos, CA/Saratoga HS) has been named First Team All-West Region for the 2008 season, as selected by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

Franchi set a Willamette record with 10 home runs. As a pitcher, she finished the year with a 19-4 record and a 1.85 earned run average.

Wolves Sign Two Oregon Prep Standouts

The Wolves, under third-year coach Stanger, finished 15-12 overall in 2007-08 and they were 8-10 in GNAC play.

(MONMOUTH, Ore. ) - Western Oregon University men's basketball coach Craig Stanger has announced the signing of two players to National Letters of Intent.

Mazama High School's (Klamath Falls) Kolton Nelson and McMinnville's Kyle Long will join the Wolves program next fall. Nelson is a 6-8, 260 pound center, while Long is a 6-3, 175 pound guard.

No. 3 UCLA Rallies Past Oregon, 3-1

Chaput’s homer was the only hit off Bruin All-America starter Anjelica Selden who struck out 13 and walked one in her complete game.

(EUGENE, Ore. ) - After senior Lovena Chaput smashed a towering home run over the right field scoreboard Thursday afternoon, No. 3 UCLA came back to beat the UO softball team, 3-1.

After both teams were scoreless and hitless the first three innings, Chaput sailed her sixth homer of the year over the right field scoreboard.

Former Yankee Scott Brosius Named NWC Coach of the Year

Former MLB player Scott Brosius was named NWC Coach of the Year.

(McMINNVILLE, Ore. ) - Sixteen Linfield baseball players and the Wildcats’ first-year head coach have been named to the Northwest Conference all-star team following a vote of the league’s nine coaches.

Receiving NWC Pitcher of the Year honors was senior righthander Brian Clark. Clark led the NWC in conference wins with seven and finished the season with a 9-1 record on the mound, making 11 total appearances. He recorded 48 strikeouts in 76 1/3 innings pitched and posted a 2.59 earned run average.

Hallmark's 2 Homers Pace Western Oregon to NCAA Win

Katie Fleer improved to 19-5 on the season, adding to her school record for wins in a season.

(ARCATA, Calif.) - Freshman Jessica Hallmark blasted two home runs as part of a 13-hit Wolves attack, helping to lead Western Oregon to a mercy-rule 9-1 victory over Cal State Monterey Bay in the first game of the NCAA Division II west region softball championships.

Hallmark belted a grand slam home run over the centerfield fence in the second inning,and added a deep two-run shot over left-centerfield in the fourth. Her six RBI ties a WOU single-game record.

Magic Roll Over Pistons 111-86 in Game 3

Richard Hamilton led the Pistons with 24 points, while rookie Rodney Stuckey posted 19 points.

(ORLANDO, Fla. ) - Rashard Lewis scored a playoff career-high 33 points and Dwight Howard posted a double-double of 20 and 12 rebounds as the host Magic rolled to a 111-86 victory over the Pistons in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series on Wednesday.

Orlando got off to a strong start and never looked back. Detroit still leads the series 2-1, but lost All-Star guard Chauncey Billups with an apparent leg injury early on.

Willamette's Franchi Named NWC Softball Player of the Year

She achieved a .518 batting average and went 19-4 as a pitcher.

(SALEM, Ore. ) - Nikki Franchi (Jr., RHP/DP, Los Gatos, CA/Saratoga HS) of Willamette University, who led the Northwest Conference with a .518 batting average and earned a 19-4 pitching record, has been selected NWC Softball Player of the Year in voting by the NWC head coaches.

Franchi also was named First Team All-NWC, along with fellow Willamette players Liz Gilgan (Sr., SS, Sherwood, OR/Sherwood HS) and Katie Peterson (So., RF, Independence, OR/Central HS).

Oregon State to Host Willamette Volleyball Classic

The junior tournament is expected to draw over 170 teams to Corvallis from as far away as Hawaii.

(CORVALLIS, Ore. ) - Oregon State University is pleased to announce that it will host the Second Annual Willamette Volleyball Classic this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

The event will be capped by an exhibition match between Oregon State and Portland State on Saturday, at 7:30 p.m. in legendary Gill Coliseum. Admission is free, and the first 500 fans will receive a free Oregon State volleyball poster.

Corban Trio Named to All-Conference, Gold Glove Teams

Corban ended its season at 10-31 overall, 7-17 in NAIA Region I play.

(SALEM, Ore. ) - Corban College seniors Jordan Emery (Salem, Ore.) and Daniel Flores (San Jose, Calif.) were named as members of the All-Cascade Collegiate Conference team to go along with fellow senior Jamie McGraw's (Gaston, Ore.) honorable mention and Gold Glove recognition.

Emery, a senior right-handed pitcher and utility infielder, was the ace of this year's Warrior pitching staff. The North Salem High School graduate appeared in a team-high tying 16 games that included a conference and team-high 13 starts en route to accumulating a win-loss record of 5-6.

Salem Native Katie Fleer Wins Two GNAC Awards

Fleer set a WOU school record this year with 18 wins (18-5) and led the GNAC with a 1.47 ERA and 165 strikeouts.

(MONMOUTH, Ore. ) - Western Oregon softball coach Pam Knox was named Coach of the Year and WOU's Katie Fleer was named the Co-Pitcher of the Year and Newcomer of the Year in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

The Wolves, who open play at the NCAA Division II west region championships on Wednesday (9 a.m.) against Cal State Monterey Bay, also had three players named to the first team. Western Oregon shared the conference title this year with Seattle University.

Western Oregon Hopes to Win Baseball Crown at Home

The Wolves are 17-5 at home this year.

(MONMOUTH, Ore. ) - Western Oregon will try and secure a seventh consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship and eighth straight league title overall when they host Montana State Billings this Friday and Saturday at the WOU Baseball Field.

The Wolves hold a two-game lead over second place Central Washington and both the Wolves and Wildcats have four games remaining. For the third consecutive week, the Wolves came very close to winning all four games of a series.

Defense Helps Boston Edge Cavs in Game One

Paul Pierce and Ray Allen combined for just four points on 2-of-18 shooting.

(BOSTON) - In NBA MVP voting announced Tuesday, Kevin Garnett finished ahead of LeBron James.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals had a similar outcome. Garnett scored 28 points, including the go-ahead basket with 21 seconds left as the Boston Celtics edged the Cleveland Cavaliers, 76-72, to improve to 5-0 at home in the postseason.

Kobe Bryant Wins First NBA MVP

Rounding out the top five were: New Orleans’ Chris Paul, Boston’s Kevin Garnett, Cleveland’s LeBron James and Orlando’s Dwight Howard.

(LOS ANGELES) - Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers is the winner of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the 2007-08 NBA Most Valuable Player presented by Kia Motors, the NBA announced today.

Bryant finished the season ranked second in the league in scoring at 28.3 ppg, having shot .459 from the field, .840 from the free-throw line and .361 from three-point range.

Linfield Headed to Texas to Begin Title Defense

Fresh from winning its fifth consecutive NWC title, Linfield earned the No. 4 seed in the West Regional.

(McMINNVILLE, Ore. ) - The Linfield Wildcats are headed to Tyler, Texas, to defend their NCAA Division III national championship starting Thursday.

Linfield, 36-4 this season, departs Tuesday for Texas to compete in the seven-team NCAA Division III West Regional, hosted by the the University of Texas at Tyler.

Brooke Smith Breaks Willamette Heptathlon Record

Smith also recorded a provisional qualifying distance in the javelin, but it was three inches shorter than her previous season best.

(SALEM, Ore. ) - Brooke Smith (Jr., Idleyld Park, OR/Glide HS) recorded a score of 4,462 points in the heptathlon to improve her NCAA provisional qualifying mark by 247 points while taking second place at the Willamette Multi-Event, which concluded on Monday at the Charles Bowles Track.

Smith, who previously registered a career-best score of 4,215 at the Northwest Conference Multi-Event Championships, added to her chances of making the field at the 2008 NCAA Division III Championships later this month.

Corban Trio Lands on All Conference Softball Team

Corban ended its season with its best record since 2005, as the Warriors amassed a win-loss record of 15-22 that included an 11-13 record in conference play.

(SALEM, Ore. ) - Senior Lindsay Batey (Aloha, Ore.), junior Erin Sailors (Anchorage, Alaska), and freshman Jessie Jones (Gladstone, Ore.) were named to the 2008 All-Cascade Collegiate Conference team to go along with a Warrior duo that was named to the Gold Glove Team.

Sailors is the program's all-time leader in strikeouts with 360, while ranking second all-time in innings pitched (309.2), wins (15), appearances (51), and complete games (32).

Oregon to Host Kevin Costner's Band for Baseball Fundraiser

Costner will play two events at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts in Eugene, May 30 and May 31 at 7 p.m. in a show that features clips from many of his films.

(EUGENE, Ore. ) - Kevin Costner, the star of some of the most highly acclaimed baseball movies of all time, is coming to Eugene with his band “Modern West” in an unprecedented fundraiser to help fund construction of the University of Oregon’s new baseball park for the Ducks' reinstated baseball program.

Oregon will play its first baseball game in 27 years next February, and is currently in the midst of a $20 million fundraising drive to pay for the new park and the operation of the program.

Hornets Second Half Rally Puts Spurs Down 0-2

Chauncey Billups scored a game-high 28 points as the Pistons held on for a Game 2 victory in Detroit on Monday night, 100-93.

(NEW ORLEANS) - The San Antonio Spurs looked like two different teams in Monday's Game 2 at New Orleans Arena.

In the first half, they bounced back from their Game 1 defeat in typical Spurs fashion, with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker leading the charge. But the second-half Spurs returned to Game 1 form, stunned by the New Orleans Hornets on both ends of the court as they fell 102-84 and dug themselves a 0-2 hole for the series.

Caddy for PGA Champion David Toms at the Crowne Plaza Invitation Caddy for a Cure

"We are thrilled to be coming back to the Ft. Worth area with our program at the Crowne Plaza Invitational," - Russ Holden, Caddy For A Cure founder

(CORAL SPRINGS, Fla.) - Caddy For A Cure, Inc., the opportunity of a golfing lifetime to go inside the ropes and caddy for the world's best players at PGA TOUR venues, announces the participation of world-class PGA TOUR player, David Toms, at the upcoming Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial CC in Ft. Worth, Texas on Wednesday, May 21st.

Caddy For A Cure offers PGA TOUR player caddy opportunities through its website (see caddyforacure.com) and the online auction service Charitybuzz.com. Caddy For A Cure donates 100% of the auction proceeds to charity, including the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund, which is the inspiration behind the Caddy For A Cure program.

Paula Creamer Wins SemGroup Championship

Last week, Creamer lost in a one-hole, sudden-death playoff to Annika Sorenstam.

(BROKEN ARROW, Texas) - 21-year-old Paula Creamer said she erased the memory of her first LPGA playoff loss last week before she stepped off the plane in Tulsa on Tuesday afternoon, but a bogey on the 72nd hole of regulation at Cedar Ridge CC brought those memories flooding back in.

It took Creamer two sudden-death playoff holes, but eventually she prevailed over good friend and U.S. Solheim Cup teammate Juli Inkster at the SemGroup Championship Presented by John Q. Hammons.

Lakers Hold Off Jazz for Game One Win

The Jazz were led by Mehmet Okur with 21 points and 19 rebounds.

(LOS ANGELES) - The Lakers took a first-half lead and held off the Jazz down the stretch on Sunday for a 109-98 Game 1 win at home.

Kobe Bryant scored 24 of his game-high 38 points in the first half as Utah struggled from the floor and the Lakers took a 13-point lead into halftime.