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Stansbury resigns as Miss. St. coach

STARKVILLE, Miss., March 15 (UPI) -- Rick Stansbury resigned Thursday after 14 seasons of coaching men's basketball at Mississippi State.

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The unexpected announcement came after the Bulldogs' 101-92 double-overtime loss Tuesday to Massachusetts in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament and completed a 21-12 season.

Stansbury, 52, cited family issues for the decision to resign. He has three sons under the age of 14 and said he wants to spend more time at home.

"Smile, this is a happy day," Stansbury said Thursday during an emotional news conference.

"I've been doing this now for 28 years, 22 at Mississippi State, 14 as head coach. I thought long and hard about this. It's time in my life to start a new chapter, [and] step away from coaching."

Stansbury was an assistant at Mississippi State for eight seasons before moving up to head coach. The Bulldogs were 293-166 under Stansbury and five times finished first in the SEC West Division. Mississippi State twice won the SEC tournament in that span.

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The Bulldogs had just one losing season --14-16 in Stansbury's second season -- in his tenure.

The 293 victories are a record for a Mississippi State coach.


Manassero ties Andalucia course record

ANDALUCIA, Spain, March 15 (UPI) -- Matteo Manassero tied the course record Thursday in taking the first-round lead at the European Tour's Andalucia Open in Spain.

Manassero had nine birdies and a bogey in an 8-under-par 64 at the Aloha Golf Club.

Five players are tied for second at 5-under. That includes Niclas Fasth, who had three bogeys including one on his final hole Thursday, and Anthony Wall, had eight birdies against a bogey and a double bogey.

Also at 5-under are Eduardo de la Riva, who had one bogey, Otto Hennie, after a bogey-free round, and Lloyd Kennedy, whose round included an eagle and a bogey.

Manassero played the back side at Aloha first and opened with a birdie. After four consecutive pars he closed the side with three birdies in a four-hole span.

He had three more birdies over Nos. 3-6 but had a bogey at the seventh hole.

Manassero dropped an 18-foot putt for birdie at the eighth hole and pitched to within 7 feet for a birdie opportunity at the 343-yard ninth hole to tie the record.

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Another World Cup title for Vonn

SCHLADMING, Austria, March 15 (UPI) -- Germany's Viktoria Rebensburg won the women's final super-giant slalom race Thursday but American Lindsey Vonn wrapped up the season championship.

It was the first super-G race win for Rebensburg, whose other six career World Cup wins are all in giant slalom. She was clocked in 1 minute 24.54 seconds, putting up what proved to be the winning time in an early run and then waiting out the rest of the field.

American skier Julie Mancuso was second at 1:24.72 and France's Marion Rolland took third in 1:24.75.

Vonn finished sixth at 1:25.11 but still collected her 16th discipline championship and fourth consecutive super-G title. Vonn has also claimed the 2011-12 overall, combined and downhill titles.

She is second in the giant slalom with one of two events still to be decided this season. Rebensburg leads the giant slalom standings with 550 points, 95 more than Vonn.

Vonn said this week she was shooting for the overall point total record of 2,000 by Hermann Maier. She is at 1,948 after Thursday's results.


Trial resumes for Cook, charged with abuse

MINNEAPOLIS, March 15 (UPI) -- Trial resumed Thursday in Minneapolis for Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook, accused of hitting and choking his girlfriend Oct. 22.

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Cook, 25, was arrested on charges of domestic assault by strangulation and third-degree assault against his then-girlfriend Chantel Baker, 21. The two have differing accounts regarding who began the altercation.

The judge has asked jurors to also determine whether or not Cook was guilty of a misdemeanor count of domestic assault with intent to cause fear, or a misdemeanor count of domestic assault with intent to cause bodily harm.

Jurors have also been asked to determine whether or not Cook acted in self-defense, Pioneer Press (St.Paul, Minn.) reported. If Cook is found to have been acting in self-defense, he must be acquitted of the domestic abuse charges, the judge said.

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