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Duke wins big to stay unbeaten

NEW YORK, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Gerald Henderson scored 20 points Thursday and fifth-ranked Duke blew the game open down the stretch to defeat Southern Illinois 83-58.

The Blue Devils moved into the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic while running their record to 4-0.

Southern Illinois, which had gone to the NCAA Tournament six straight years before settling for an NIT bid last season, trailed by just eight points with 7 minutes remaining before Duke went on a late surge.

All of Henderson's points came in the second half and the Blue Devils got 13 each from Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler.

Carlton Fay led Southern Illinois (2-1) with 17 points.

Hull leads LPGA Tour finale

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Katherine Hull, who won her first LPGA Tour event this year, grabbed the lead Thursday after the opening round of the season-ending ADT Championship.

Hull shot a 4-under 68 at the Trump International Golf Club for a one-shot advantage over In-Kyung Kim and Ji-Yai Shin.

Shin has won twice this season, including a major triumph at the Women's British Open.

Na Yeon Choi, Eun Hee Ji and Ji Young Oh were tied for fourth at 70.

The 31-player field will be reduced to just 16 after the second round and to eight after the third round.

Among those who were outside the top 16 after the first round were world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa, Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb and Angela Stanford, who won the tour event last week.

Sorenstam, who plans to leave the circuit after this tournament, won the event four times before it changed to its current form. This is the third time it has been played in this format and she has missed the weekend each of the last two years.

Sorenstam shot a 74 that left her tied for 23rd.

"I actually thought I played really well today," Sorenstam said. "I just could not put it together."

Ochoa, the defending champion, shot a 75. Both Stanford and Webb had a 73.

Chicago Cubs sale faces Dec. 1 deadline

CHICAGO, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- The scheduled Dec. 1 date for the sale of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs remains unchanged, the ESPN cable sports network reported Thursday.

The Cubs, one of baseball's oldest franchises, were part of the holdings when Chicago real estate mogul Sam Zell bought Tribune Co. in April 2007. A sale of the team was addressed during a session of MLB's ownership committee in New York Wednesday.

"Bids are expected the week after Thanksgiving," said Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer. "Mr. Zell claims the team is for sale and they're moving forward."

DuPuy declined to address the nature of the bids or what four groups baseball has seen in person.

The highest potential bidder, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, was targeted this week in a civil proceeding by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is looking into insider trading regarding the sale of personal stock.

Cuban has made a $1.3 billion bid for the Cubs, and is believed in media circles to have more available cash than other bidders

Iona College dumps football

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y., announced Thursday its football program has been terminated, "effective immediately."

Iona was one of the founding members of the MAAC Football League in 1993.

"It is with a heavy heart and careful deliberations that we have come to this extremely difficult decision," Athletic Director Patrick Lyons said. "The dissolution of the MAAC Football League after the 2007 season and the lack of equitable opponents in Division I FCS football was the main factor in the decision.

"This decision was not a result of the program's performance on the field. The young men that competed in the past and present represented Iona College with pride and dedication in a way that all can admire."

After becoming a Division I program in the 1993 season, the Gaels recorded a 59-94 overall record in 15 seasons.

They won the MAAC Football League Championships in 1993 and 2007.