Marquette ousts cold-shooting Miami
WASHINGTON, March 28 (UPI) -- Jamil Wilson led the offense Thursday and Marquette took advantage of cold Miami shooting for a 71-61 victory in the NCAA's East Region semifinals.
The Hurricanes were dismal from the field in the first half, produced just 16 points during the first 20 minutes and fell behind by 22 late in the game before a closing flurry made the final score respectable.
Miami, regular-season and tournament champ in the Atlantic Coast Conference, took a 4-2 lead 2:30 into the game and did not score another point for 7 minutes.
The Hurricanes hit just five of their first 24 shots. Miami's starting guard tandem of Durand Scott and Trey McKinney-Jones combined to go 6-of-23 from the field.
Wilson came off the bench to score 16 points for Marquette (26-8) while both Vander Blue and Davante Gardner had 14. The Golden Eagles hit 54 percent of their shots and reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA tourney for the first time in a decade. Marquette made it to the Final Four in 2003 before losing to Kansas.
Miami (29-7) eventually shot 36 percent for the game. In a desperate attempt to catch up the Hurricanes attempted 26 shots from 3-point range and made just eight of them. Shane Larkin led Miami with 14 points.
Penguins win 14th straight with Iginla on the way
PITTSBURGH, March 28 (UPI) -- Tomas Vokoun made 20 saves in his 50th career shutout Thursday and Pittsburgh, even without its newest, ran over Winnipeg 4-0 to win its 14th in a row.
In the early morning hours Thursday Pittsburgh made a surprise deal that brought Jarome Iginla to the Penguins from Calgary in exchange for two young forwards and this year's first-round draft pick.
Iginla, Calgary's all-time leading scorer and in his 16th season with the Flames, had reportedly been headed to Boston before the deal with Pittsburgh was made final.
It was the latest move for a Pittsburgh team that with its win over the Jets took over the NHL points lead from Chicago and is currently dominating the Eastern Conference.
Pittsburgh also recently added Brenden Morrow, who had been the captain of the Dallas Stars.
With the additional firepower ready for the playoffs, the Penguins stormed to another win Thursday with Pascal Dupuis producing his 16th and 17th goals of the season. His scores both came in the second period after Chris Kunitz and Evgeni Malkin tallied in the opening stanza.
Vokoun, in his first season with Pittsburgh, took over in goal after regular starter Marc-Andre Fleury was injured in a 1-0 victory over Montreal on Tuesday.
Al Montoya made 39 saves for Winnipeg, which had won two straight.
Johan Santana faces more surgery
VIERA, Fla., March 28 (UPI) -- The New York Mets announced Thursday pitcher Johan Santana had re-torn the capsule around his left shoulder and surgery was a "strong possibility."
Santana, a former winner of the National League Cy Young Award, missed all of the 2011 season after suffering a similar injury in September 2010.
After reporting to spring training this year, Santana was diagnosed with weakness in his left shoulder. He has not appeared in a spring training game and New York General Manager Sandy Alderson said Thursday a decision would be made soon as to what course of action will be taken.
Santana was the Mets' opening day starter last year and on June 1 threw the first no-hitter in the history of the franchise. He did so while throwing a career-high 134 pitches.
In his next 10 starts Santana went 3-7 with an ERA of 8.27. The Mets eventually shut him down for the season in August.
Santana is in the final year of a 6-year, $137.5 million contract. He is scheduled to earn 25.5 million this year. Although there is a club option for the 2014 campaign in his contract, the Mets are not expected to exercise it.
Points leads by one at Houston Open
HUMBLE, Texas, March 28 (UPI) -- D.A. Points birdied his first five holes Thursday, eventually shot an 8-under 64 and seized a one-shot lead on the first day of the Houston Open.
Points won the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 2011 for his only PGA Tour victory and he has missed the cut in seven of his nine tournaments this season.
His game came to life Thursday when he made nine birdies to begin the final tournament prior to the Masters -- golf's first major championship of the year. The 64 was Points' lowest score on the tour this year by three shots.
Cameron Tringale and John Rollins shared second place after they turned in 65s at the Redstone Golf Club's Tournament Course. Jason Kokrak and former Masters winner Angel Cabrera were tied for fourth at 66.
Defending champion Phil Mickelson was 4-under with five holes to play, but then suffered two bogeys and a double bogey. He wound up with an even-par 72, leaving him in a tie for 64th place.
Rory McIlroy, supplanted as the No. 1 player in the world by Tiger Woods last week, had to birdie four holes on the back nine just to shoot a 1-over 73.
Woods won for the third time this year when he captured the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week. He continued a streak in which all 13 events on the PGA Tour this year have been won by a player from the United States.
