Malone carries Jazz past Lakers
SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Karl Malone scored 19 of his season-high 29 points and pulled down 10 of his 15 rebounds in the second half Wednesday night to lead the Utah Jazz to a 93-85 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Jazz led throughout the second half and by as many as 13 points, but the Lakers kept chipping away and got within four on several occasions. However, Malone provided two shots that buried Los Angeles.
With three minutes left, Malone gave Utah an 85-74 lead with a three-pointer, just the 84th of his 18-year career. Two minutes later, Malone iced the game with a falling, fadeaway jumper from just outside the lane that gave the Jazz an insurmountable 10-point edge.
Along with long-time teammate John Stockton, Malone also was instrumental in building Utah's lead. The duo combined for all the points in a 13-4 run that opened the second half and gave the Jazz a 57-44 cushion.
Stockton scored eight of his 10 points after halftime and handed out 11 assists.
Other NBA results: Cleveland 111, Chicago 101; Philadelphia 99, Boston 93; Washington 88, Detroit 83; Orlando 87, New York 85; New Orleans 89, Toronto 74; Sacramento 92, Denver 90; Phoenix 98, Memphis 85; Dallas 103, Portland 88.
Arnott records hat trick
DALLAS, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Jason Arnott scored his first hat trick with Dallas and first in the history of American Airlines Center Wednesday night as the Dallas Stars pulled away for a 5-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
Arnott scored goals in each period while Jere Lehtinen and Mike Modano added third-period tallies to help the Stars remain the only team without a regulation loss at home.
The Stars are 7
1 at home since a 3-2 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers on Oct. 30.
With the game even at 1-1 midway through the second period, Arnott backhaded a feed from Pierre Turgeon to put Dallas ahead. He scored his seventh goal of the season at 8:32 of the third, deflecting defenseman Derian Hatcher's slap shot from the left point to record his fourth career hat trick.
Doug Gilmour scored the lone goal for the Canadiens, who have lost five of their last six contests.
Other NHL results: uffalo 4, Anaheim 0; Florida 4, Carolina 2; Vancouver 3, New Jersey 2 in overtime; Chicago 1, Ottawa 0.
Sharks hire Ron Wilson
SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Ron Wilson, who guided the Washington Capitals to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998, was named Wednesday as coach of the San Jose Sharks.
Wilson was hired to replace Darryl Sutter, who was fired Sunday with the Sharks last in the Pacific Division a season after winning the first division title in team history.
Terms of Wilson's contract were not disclosed. His first game will be Friday against Columbus.
Sutter was dismissed Sunday along with assistant coaches Rich Preston and Lorne Molleken. Pro scout Cap Raeder coached the team in a 3-2 overtime loss to Phoenix on Tuesday. The Sharks are 9-12-2-2.
Wilson, 47, was fired by the Capitals in May after his fifth season with the club. The Caps failed to make the playoffs last season, but Wilson previously led them to back-to-back division titles, three 40-win seasons and a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998, where they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings.
Wilson had his first head coaching job with Anaheim in 1993. Teemu Selanne, now with the Sharks, had 51 goals and 109 points under Wilson during the 1996-97 season as the Mighty Ducks made their first postseason appearance.
In nine seasons, Wilson owns a 192-159-51-8 record, making the playoffs four times. He also coached Team USA over Canada in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.
Spartans avoid third straight loss
EAST LANSING, Mich., Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Chris Hill made five three-pointers and scored 22 points Wednesday night as the 21st-ranked Michigan State Spartans avoided a third straight loss with an 82-75 victory over No. 23 Virginia in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
Michigan State (3-2) combined for 37 turnovers in a pair of losses at the Great Alaska Shootout. The Spartans played much better Wednesday night, thanks to Hill's perimeter work and the play of Aloysius Anagonye and freshman Paul Davis inside on Virginia star forward Travis Watson.
Hill scored eight straight points and Anagonye had a layup to cap a 17-0 run that gave Michigan State a 33-19 lead with just under five minutes left before halftime. The Spartans held a 36-25 advantage at the break.
Hill's three-pointer gave Michigan State its largest lead at 59-41 midway through the second half before Virginia (3-2) staged a rally with nine straight points. Watson had back-to-back layups to cut the deficit to 59-50 with 7:15 to go.
The Spartans went to Hill on their next two possessions and he made a pair of three-pointers around a layup by Virginia center Nick Vander Laan for a 65-52 cushion.
Sixth-ranked Oregon was the only member of the top 10 in action Wednesday night and the Ducks defeated Portland, 96-66.
Two share qualifying tournament lead
LA QUINTA, Calif., Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Steve Gangluff and Aaron Barber both shot a 6-under-par 66 Wednesday to take the first-round lead in the six-round PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament.
Gangluff and Barber took advantage of perfect conditions on the par-72, 7,204-yard Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course to grab the early lead. Half the field played at the TPC Stadium Course.
Barber made eight birdies and a double bogey. This is his first appearance in the final stage of qualifying after seven tries to get onto the PGA Tour.
Cameron Yancey, Anthony Painter, Mike Grob, Han Lee and John Morgan were one shot back at 67. Bob May, runner-up to Tiger Woods at the 2000 PGA Championship, was one of 11 players at 68.
Among the PGA Tour regulars trying to regain their card were Woody Austin with a 69, Steve Pate at 70, Gabriel Hjerstedt at 71 and Casey Martin at 71.
Andy Miller, son of Johnny Miller, fired a 70; and Hank Kuehne, former U.S. Open champion and money leader on this year's Canadian Tour, struggled to a 75.
Dodgers, Cubs work trade
CHICAGO, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles Dodgers, looking to free up some money in hopes of filling other needs, sent first baseman Eric Karros and second baseman Mark Grudzielanek to the Chicago Cubs Wednesday for catcher Todd Hundley.
The Dodgers also sent the Cubs an undisclosed amount of cash and received backup outfielder Chad Hermansen.
Already having one of the highest payrolls in the National League, the Dodgers made no secret of their desire to rid themselves of the contracts of Karros and Grudzielanek, a pair of underachieving veterans.
The Dodgers are hoping to make a run at free agents Cliff Floyd, an outfielder, or Jeff Kent, a second baseman who also can play first.
Hundley, who spent 1999-2000 with Los Angeles, was a major disappointment for Chicago. The 33-year-old backstop battled injuries and prolonged slumps during two seasons in his hometown.
Orioles make front office moves
BALTIMORE, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- The Baltimore Orioles have turned to former pitchers Mike Flanagan and Jim Beattie to revive a franchise that has endured five straight losing seasons.
Flanagan was named vice president of baseball operations Wednesday and will report to Beattie, who was named by owner Peter Angelos as executive vice president of baseball operations.
They would serve as the replacements for vice president of baseball operations Syd Thrift, who has been the Orioles' de facto general manager over the last three seasons. The 73-year-old Thrift said after the season that he did not expect to return in the same role in 2003.
The Orioles were fourth in the American League East last season with a 67-95 record and their farm system is considered among the worst in baseball.
Flanagan, 50, was the 1979 American League Cy Young Award winner with the Orioles, but has no previous front office experience. He has been around the Orioles organization for more than two decades as a player, pitching coach, broadcaster and advisor to Angelos.
Beattie, 48, brings considerable front office experience as general manager of the Montreal Expos for six seasons. Working with a limited budget, Beattie was often able to field young, competitive teams. He pitched for the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Woods leads elite field
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Defending champion and tournament host Tiger Woods will head the star-studded field for the fourth annual Target World Challenge, which begins Thursday at the Sherwood Country Club.
In addition to Woods, 11 of the top 15 players in the world rankings are entered in the exclusive 16-man field. The winner of the 72-hole event will receive $1 million while the 16th place finisher takes home $130,000.
Woods won five tournaments on the PGA Tour this year, including his third Masters and second U.S. Open, and earned $6,912,625 to lock up his fourth consecutive money title. He recently won the Grand Slam of Golf in record fashion, carding an 11-under par 61 in the final round to win by 14 strokes with a two-day score of 17-under 127.
Players who qualified based on their official world rankings include Phil Mickelson (2), Retief Goosen (4), David Toms (5), Davis Love III (7), Vijay Singh (8), Padraig Harrington (9), Jim Furyk (10), Nick Price (11), Michael Campbell (13), Chris DiMarco (14) and Bob Estes (15).
Rich Beem, Colin Montgomerie, Mark O'Meara and Bernhard Langer accepted special exemptions for the event.
Dorsey, McGahee among Camp finalists
NEW HAVEN, Conn., Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Quarterback Ken Dorsey and running back Willis McGahee, who have led defending national champion Miami to an 11-0 record, were among the five finalists for the Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year announced Wednesday.
Quarterbacks Brad Banks of Iowa and Carson Palmer of Southern California and Penn State's Larry Johnson also were named as finalists for the honor, which is selected by a vote of Division I-A coaches and sports information directors.
Dorsey has thrown for 2,773 yards and 24 touchdowns and McGahee has rushed for 1,481 yards and 21 scores.
Banks led Iowa to a share of the Big Ten Conference title and has thrown 25 touchdown passes. Palmer has completed 63 percent of his passes and has 32 touchdown passes.
Johnson is the ninth player in NCAA history to rush for over 2,000 yards, totaling 2,015 on 251 carries.
The winner will be announced on Dec. 12.
Palmer, meanwhile, was named ednesday as the winner of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
The award is given annually to the nation's top senior quarterback. The official presentation will be made on Dec. 13 in Louisville.
