Arkansas hires Kent State coach
FAYETTEVILE, Ark., March 28 (UPI) -- Stan Heath is headed to Arkansas after one outstanding season at Kent State.
Heath, who guided the Golden Flashes to the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament, was named basketball coach of the Razorbacks on Thursday. He replaces Nolan Richardson, who departed in a firestorm of controversy earlier this month.
Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles said Tuesday that he wanted to accelerate the timetable for naming a coach and was believed to have interviewed about a half dozen candidates, including Illinois' Bill Self, Wyoming's Steve McLain and Arkansas State's Dickey Nutt, the brother of Arkansas football coach Houston Nutt.
Broyles decided on Heath, a former Michigan State assistant who guided Kent State to its deepest run ever in the NCAA Tournament.
The 10th-seeded Golden Flashes (30-6) defeated Oklahoma State, Alabama and Pittsburgh in the first three rounds before losing to Indiana on Saturday. Kent State also set a school record with 21 straight wins.
The 37-year-old Heath spent the previous five seasons at Michigan State, which included three straight trips to the Final Four and a national championship in 2000.
Prior to Michigan State, Heath coached at Bowling Green, George Mason and Wayne State. A native of Detroit, Heath played collegiately at Eastern Michigan.
Richardson was relieved of his duties on March 1 following a public outburst in which he complained about the lack of black coaches at the school and that black athletes at Arkansas face a different social atmosphere. Richardson first requested a buyout, then denied he had done such a thing. After a meeting with high-ranking school officials, Richardson finally reached agreement on a buyout.
Under Richardson, Arkansas reached three Final Fours and won the 1994 national championship. The Razorbacks reached the championship game again the next year but lost to UCLA.
Serena defeats Venus at Miami
MIAMI, March 28 (UPI) -- Eighth seed Serena Williams earned a rare victory over Venus Williams, routing her older sister, 6-2, 6-2, on Thursday in the semifinals of the $6.44 million NASDAQ 100 Open Tennis Masters Series.
"I can't believe it," said Serena Williams, who made only 10 unforced errors to improve to just 2-5 against her older sibling. "I can't believe I finally beat her. I'm in shock. She's the best player out there, and I can't believe I won."
The match took just 49 minutes and the crowd directed a smattering of boos toward Venus Williams, the No. 2 seed who hardly put up a fight.
Serena Williams' only previous win against her sister came in the finals of the 1999 Grand Slam Cup, also on hard courts.
The sisters squared off for the first time since Venus Williams won last year's U.S. Open final. They also met here for the title in 1999, when Venus won the second of her three championships in this event.
Venus Williams missed the 2000 tournament due to tendinitis in both wrists after claiming consecutive crowns.
Serena Williams will try to keep the title in the family. In Saturday's final, she will face either top-seeded Jennifer Capriati or No. 5 seed Monica Seles. The Americans clashed in the second semifinal Thursday night.
In the first of two men's quarterfinals, Switzerland's Roger Federer, the No. 12 seed, routed No. 26 seed Andrei Pavel of Romania, 6-1, 6-1. In the semifinals, Federer will face the winner of Thursday night's match between top seed Lleyton Hewitt of Australia and No. 6 seed Marat Safin of Russia.
Defending champion Andre Agassi, the oldest player left in the draw, moved into the semifinals with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Nicolas Lapentti on Wednesday. Seeking his fifth title at this event, the 31-year-old Agassi is playing in just his fourth tournament of the year due to a wrist injury. He has won 27 of 33 sets, with all of the losses coming in tiebreakers.
Carter takes one-shot lead at Houston
HOUSTON, March 28 (UPI) -- Unheralded Jim Carter shot a 7-under-par 65 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the $4 million Houston Open.
Esteban Toledo of Mexico is alone in second place after a 66 while Vijay Singh of Fiji headlines a group of six golfers who fired 5-under 67s and are two shots off the pace.
The PGA Tour has yet to have a repeat winner this season and the list of unexpected champions includes Craig Perks, who last week claimed an improbable victory at one of the world's most elite tournaments--The Players Championship.
The Houston Open has less prestige, but that does not matter to Carter, a 30-year-old North Carolina native who recorded his lone PGA victory at the 2000 Tucson Open. He took a step toward another win Thursday with a bogey-free round that included birdies on Nos. 15, 16 and 17.
There has been plenty of mediocre golf this season from Carter, who missed the cut twice and has finished no better than 23rd. He found his stroke at the TPC at the Woodlands, hitting a series of long drives and using solid iron play to set up short birdie putts at the 16th and 17th holes. Carter is trying to become the first first-round leader to win this event since David Graham in 1983.
Scott Verplank, Chris Riley, J.P. Hayes, Brian Bateman and Jay Haas also are in the group at 5-under. Fred Couples and Nick Price are among seven golfers who carded 68s.
With Tiger Woods taking the week off, more of the spotlight is on Perks, who settled for a 74 on Thursday.
UConn, Lady Vols renew heated rivalry
SAN ANTONIO, March 28 (UPI) One of the hottest rivalries incollege basketball resumes at the Alamodome on Friday when unbeaten Connecticut faces Tennessee in the NCAA Women's Final Four.
The Huskies and Lady Vols have combined to win five of the last seven national titles and have battled each other five times in the NCAA Tournament since 1995, including three meetings in the Final Four.
In the other semifinal game, Duke takes on Oklahoma. The Blue Devils will be trying to extend the longest win streak in school history and advance to their second national championship game. The Sooners have never gotten this far before.
Connecticut defeated Tennessee to win both its national championships in 1995 and 2000. The Lady Vols eliminated the defending champion Huskies in the 1996 Final Four and beat them again in the "Elite Eight" the following season.
Connecticut (37-0) has stormed its way into the national semifinals and is two victories away from the second undefeated season in team history.
Saints sign former Patriots linebacker
METAIRIE, La., March 28 (UPI) -- Linebacker Bryan Cox, a captain for the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, signed a one-year contract Thursday with the New Orleans Saints.
Cox, 34, joins the fifth team of his 12-year career. The 6-4, 250-pound Cox is coming off a season in which he suffered a broken right leg but still played in 11 games. He also saw limited action in three postseason games, helping the Patriots to their first championship.
The Saints' defense collapsed down the stretch last season as the team lost its last four games. During the offseason, defensive lineman Joe Johnson and La'Roi Glover departed via free agency.
Cox was a 1991 fifth-round pick of Miami and spent five seasons with the Dolphins, making the Pro Bowl in 1992, 1994 and 1995. He signed with Chicago after the 1995 season and with the New York Jets following the 1997 campaign. The Patriots signed Cox last summer and he played primarily as a runs-stuffer. In his career, he has 1,076 tackles, 52 sacks, 21 forced fumbles, 13 fumble recoveries and four interceptions.
T'Wolves present Pack with new Pact
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., Narch 28 (UPI) -- he Minnesota Timberwolves signed guard Robert Pack to a contract for the rest of the season Thursday.
Pack signed a 10-day contract on March 18 and has averaged 6.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists in four contests. Originally signed by Portland as a free agent in 1991, Pack also has played for Trail Blazers, Denver, Washington, New Jersey and Dallas.
His best statistical season came in 1995-96, when he averaged 18.1 points and 7.8 assists for the Bullets.
Bengals re-sign DE Wilson
CINCINNATI, March 28 (UPI) -- The Cincinnati Bengals made a commitment to keep one of their best defensive players THursday by re-signing free agent end Reinard Wilson to a three-year contract.
Wilson, 28, emerged as the Bengals' best rusher last season, leading the club with nine sacks while playing in 16 games in mostly passing downs at right end. His nine sacks matched the most by a Bengal since John Copeland also had nine in 1995.
Considered one of the most frugal franchises in the NFL, the Bengals have made an effort to keep their top players in recent last seasons. Last season, the Bengals signed star running back Corey Dillon to a multi-year contract and also were active in the free agent market.
A 1997 first-rounder out of Florida State, the 6-2, 272-pound Wilson has collected 24 sacks in 77 career games.
Quigley heads field for Emerald Classic
MILTON, Fla., March 28 (UPI) -- Following a one-week hiatus, the Senior Tour resumes this weekend with the Emerald Coast Classic, which begins Friday at The Moors Golf Club.
Dana Quigley, who will be playing in his 175th consecutive event, heads the field as Hale Irwin and Tom Kite, the top two money-winners on the Senior Tour, are skipping the event.
Quigley is seeking his second straight victory, having captured the Siebel Classic prior to the break. The win was Quigley's sixth since joining the Senior Tour. Quigley also climbed to third in the Charles Schwab Cup standings, trailing Irwin and Kite. He has registered six top-five finishes in eight starts this year.
Returning to defend his title is Mike McCullough, who defeated Andy North here last year on the first playoff hole. Quigley is approaching McCullough's record of 177 consecutive starts that ended at last fall's Allianz Championship.
