Florida, UCLA to meet for NCAA title
INDIANAPOLIS, April 1 (UPI) -- Florida and UCLA won their semifinal games Saturday to reach the final in the 2006 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Indianapolis.
Florida used a three-point scoring barrage to blast George Mason, 73-58. The Gators' Lee Humphrey sank six treys and finished with 19 points and three rebounds. Corey Brewer had 19 points and six rebounds and Taurean Green had 15 points, three rebounds and two steals for Florida.
In the second semifinal, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scored 17 points and pulled down nine rebounds as UCLA beat LSU, 59-45. The defensive-minded Bruins also got 12 points, four rebounds and four assists from guard Jordan Farmar -- but no other UCLA player scored in double figures.
Reports: Barkley headed to Hall of Fame
ATLANTA, April 1 (UPI) -- Former NBA stars Dominique Wilkins, Charles Barkley and Joe Dumars are headed to the Hall of Fame, CNN and ESPN reported Saturday.
They will be joined by Connecticut women's coach Geno Auriemma.
Wilkins had a 24.8 points per game scoring average in 17 NBA seasons.
Barkley, who played for 14 seasons after he was a first-round draft pick by Philadelphia out of Auburn, was selected in 1996 as one the NBA's 50 greatest players.
Auriemma has won five national titles in 21 years at UConn.
Dumars, who is in his first year of eligibility and is the president of the Detroit Pistons, averaged 16.1 points and 4.5 assists in a 15-year NBA playing career. He was an All-Star six times in an eight-year stretch in the 1990s, was first-team all-defense four times, and won three NBA titles.
An official announcement will be made on Monday in Indianapolis.
Reports: Sendek to Arizona State
INDIANAPOLIS, April 1 (UPI) -- After 10 years at North Carolina State, Herb Sendek has agreed to become the men's basketball coach at Arizona State University.
On its telecast of the Final Four Saturday afternoon at Indianapolis, CBS Sports made the initial disclosure that Sendek was "considering" an offer from the Pac-10 school. It later said the offer had been confirmed, which also was confirmed by ESPN.
Sendek, 43. may have wanted out of Raleigh after strong supporter criticism for his combined 3-27 record against nearby ACC powers North Carolina and Duke in recent years. He was 0-6 against the Tar Heels since Roy Williams took over as UNC coach in 2003 and his overall mark against the Blue Devils was 3-21.
Sendek's overall record with the Wolfpack was 191-132. His teams made NCAA Tournament appearances in each of the last five years.
At ASU, he will succeed Rob Evans, who was fired on March 10.
Gonzalez grabs the lead in Portugal
CASCAIS, Portugal, April 1 (UPI) -- With an 8-under-par 64 on Saturday, Argentina's Ricardo Gonzalez is the leader after three rounds of the Algarve Open de Portugal in Cascais.
Gonzalez finished the day with a 36-hole score of 13-under 203, and took a one-stroke lead over defending champion Paul Broadhurst of England. Broadhurst held the lead after the first two rounds, but fell to second with a 1-under 71 Saturday.
"I hit a good driver today and made a lot of fairways, and I think that is the key for a good round," said Gonzalez, a three-time winner on the European Tour. He has not won since the Open de Sevilla in 2004 in his native Spain, but has three top-six finishes in the last three months, and ranks second in stroke average this season.
Spain's Carl Suneson (67) is tied for third place with Anthony Wall of England (67) and Finland's Jarmo Sandelin (68) at 11-under 205.
The tournament winner will claim $250,375.
Hatalsky leads Champions golf in Mexico
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico, April 1 (UPI) -- Morris Hatalsky posted a 5-under 67 Saturday to take the lead after two rounds of the inaugural Puerto Vallarta Blue Agave Golf Classic.
Hatalsky is 7-under 137 after 36 holes.
First-round leader Scott Simpson shot a 71-138. He was tied for second with Massy Kuramoto (65), Gil Morgan (70), Tom Purtzer (67) and Danny Edwards (65).
Defending Senior PGA Champion Mike Reid is seventh at 5-under 139 after a 69 in round two on the Nicklaus Course at Vista Vallarta Golf Club.
Hatalsky, a 54-year-old two-time winner on the Champions Tour, birdied five of his final nine holes Friday to shoot 70.
Ochoa extends lead at the Nabisco
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif., April 1 (UPI) -- Despite a 2-over 74 Saturday, Lorena Ochoa holds a three-stroke lead after 54 holes of the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship at Rancho Mirage, Calif.
The native of Mexico stands at 9-under 207.
Michelle Wie, who struggled to a 1-over 73, remained second at 6-under 210. Both players are in search of their first title in the LPGA's first major event of 2006.
Ochoa's best finish in a major was at this event in 2003, when she finished third.
Natalie Gulbis (68), Shi Hyun Ahn (71) and Seon-Hwa Lee (74) share third at 4-under 212. A pair of former Nabisco winners -- Helen Alfredsson and Karrie Webb -- are tied for sixth at 2-under 214.
Defending champion Annika Sorenstam, who has won this event three times, stands at even-par 216 after a third-round, 1-over 73.
Kuznetsova over Sharapova in NASDAQ final
MIAMI, April 1 (UPI) -- Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated fellow Russian Maria Sharapova, 6-4, 6-3, in Saturday's all-Russian final at the $3.45 million NASDAQ-100 Open at Miami.
Sharapova was seeking her second straight championship after a win at Indian Wells, Calif. She was playing in her second straight Miami final but was unable to overcome a shaky start, and lost in just 90 minutes.
Kuznetsova captured her sixth WTA championship and is 16-4 for the year. She broke serve for a 3-1 lead in the opening set and coasted the rest of the way, finishing the match with her fourth ace of the day.
Kuznetsova, seeded 12th, won for the first time since 2004 and beat four top-25 players -- including top-ranked Amelie Mauresmo in the semifinals -- en route to the victory.
She will return to the Top 10 for the first time since surrendering her 2004 U.S. Open title last September. She earned $533,350 for the victory.
