Louisville Beat Duke 85-63; Final Four set

Guard Kevin Ware challenged a 3-point shot by Duke’s Tyler Thornton in the first half of the Midwest regional, unfortunately Ware landed awkwardly and gruesomely broke his tibia.

It was a compound fracture, bone protruding far through the skin, which Ware looked down and saw. It was the ugliest thing most anyone in the gym had ever seen in person on a basketball court.

The snap of the leg was so loud that Smith heard it.
“It was really hard for me to pull myself together,” Smith said, “because I didn’t ever think in a million years I would see something like that.”
The sight of the bone was unreal but unmistakable.
“Literally out,” Behanan said. “I saw white.”

The Cardinals won the game. They dominated Duke in the second half, pulling away for an 85-63 victory and their second-straight Final Four trip.

Louisville (33-5) has won its four NCAA games by an average margin of nearly 22 points, capped by a second-half blowout of Duke after the Cardinals shook off the incredible shock of Ware's injury with about 6 1/2 minutes to go before halftime.

"We won this for him," coach Rick Pitino said.

The Final Four is set.

Top overall seed Louisville will face Wichita State at the Georgia Dome next Saturday, while Michigan takes on Syracuse in the other national semifinal. The winners advance to the April 8 championship.

Kevin Ware BREAKS HIS LEG

LeBron James Mad at the refs; as Chicago Bulls end Miami Heat's 27-game winning streak

CHICAGO — The Heat's bid for NBA history ended Wednesday night when their 27-game winning streak was snapped by the Chicago Bulls 101-97.

Miami finished six shy of the 33-game record held by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron James' was clearly frustrated that showed in the court and in the locker room afterward in an interview.

He gave two instances, a play where Kirk Hinrich took him down with two hands in the first quarter, and Taj Gibson appearing to make contact around his neck with about 4 minutes remaining - where he thought the contact was excessive. Referees reviewed the Gibson hit, but did not award a flagrant foul. So, late in the fourth quarter, with the Miami Heat trailing the Chicago Bulls James delivered an overly physical foul leading with his forearm on Bulls forward Carlos Boozer.

A referee called a flagrant foul 1.

James wasn't angry that the Heat were about to lose for the first time since Feb. 1. He was unhappy with the way the referees officiated the game, despite having the most free throws awarded by the refs at 11.

"It's been happening all year, and I've been able to keep my cool and try to tell Spo (Heat coach Erik Spoelstra), 'Let's not worry about it,' " James said.

"But it is getting to me a little bit. Every time I try to defend myself, I've got to face the consequences of a flagrant or a technical foul or whatever the case may be.

"It's tough. It's very tough."

"I knew it was going to be a physical game," said James, who finished with a game-high 32 points, seven rebounds and three assists and took 11 free throws. "Every game against the Bulls is a physical game."

"First of all, Kirk Hinrich in the first quarter just grabbed me with two hands and brought me to the ground," James said.

"The last one, Taj Gibson was able to collar me around my shoulder and bring me to the ground," James said.

Of both fouls, James said, "Those are not basketball plays."

"I'm not crying about anything, because I play the game at a high level," he said. "I play the game with a lot of aggression, and I understand some of the plays are on the borderline of a basketball play or not."

More trips to the Free Throw line for King James 11 aint gonna cut it!

Former Penn State Forward Jamelle Cornley lands in jail for thrashing a hotel, assaulting cops - ‘lost savings’ to 3 women

Former Penn State Forward Jamelle Cornley, 25 6’5 who played for Rain or Shine team in Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and won the crown last year, was thrown into jail early Wednesday for insulting and attacking a group of policemen who came to arrest him for causing a disturbance at a Quezon City hotel.

Out of the 10 policemen who rushed to the hotel, one was reportedly knocked unconscious by a punch from the 6’5” Jamelle Cornley, 25.

Before the arrest, police said, Cornley went on a drunken rampage at Sir William’s Hotel on Timog Avenue in Barangay South Triangle around 6 a.m. This was after three female companions with whom he had earlier checked in allegedly stole his wallet containing his “savings” worth $1,400.

He broke a large vase at the lobby, a desktop computer on the front desk and the glass doors of the in-house Baia Luna videoke bar.

Before he was subdued and handcuffed by Pedrozo’s men, the American allegedly threw a punch and knocked out PO2 Anselmo Lasatin, who had to be taken to East Avenue Hospital for treatment.

Once at the Kamuning station, it required 10 more men to drag Cornley into the detention cell.

Cornley said in an interview with a local news inquirer, it all started when he met three female friends as he came out of a bar on Timog Avenue before dawn Wednesday. He said it was the three women’s idea for them to check in at Sir William’s.


“After we had a nice time, I gave them a few P1,000 bills and $100 just as they were leaving. I hit the shower but when I came out, the wallet I placed under my pillow was gone,” he said.

He said the wallet still had $1,400 in it, which he had saved up from his earnings playing in the PBA.

He asked the hotel staff members for the identities of the three women. The employees denied knowing them by name but said they were “regulars” in the hotel.

“I was angry and tipped over a vase,” Cornley said, adding that it was at that time that the policemen arrived.

“I told the cop ‘Don’t you touch me. Don’t you f—ing touch me.’ I told him that 10 times I think. But he did not listen. I shoved him to the floor but he acted as if I had hit him. I saw him lift his head several times and take a peek. When everybody was looking and bringing him to the hospital, he pretended to be knocked out,” Cornley said.

“I am concerned about losing the money I painstakingly saved. What is embarrassing is what I should tell my mother about this,” he said, adding that he was scheduled to fly home to Columbus, Ohio, on Easter Sunday.

Cornley earlier played for the Nittany Lions of Pennsylvania State University and also saw hardcourt action in France, Israel and Argentina before Rain or Shine Elasto Paint signed him up for the PBA Governor’s Cup last year.

Former Knicks guard Ray Williams dies at 58

Ray Williams a former New York Knicks guard had died on Friday at the age of 58. He had been battling colon cancer at Manhattan's Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Williams was the 10th overall pick in the 1977 draft, taken by the Knicks.

He played 10 NBA seasons, including two stints with the Knicks.
The 6-foot-3 Williams had career averages of 15.5 points a game and 5.8 assists a game.

Williams had difficulties after he retired. He was bankrupt and homeless for periods, which led to his wife and children leaving him.

Elvis Dumervil staying with Denver Broncos

 
Elvis Dumervil was staying with the Denver Broncos. And then, he wasn't.

On another busy day of NFL free agency, the highlight - or lowlight - came after a strange sequence of events in which the Broncos and the defensive end reached an agreement on a new deal that ended up not valid because the paperwork was filed too late.

And now, Dumervil is a free agent. Broncos front office chief John Elway said the team delivered its final contract proposal to Dumervil at 11 a.m. and set a 1 p.m. deadline for a decision. Elway said Dumervil accepted the contract at around 1:25 and ''although we expressed our concern regarding the time constraints, we were assured that the signed documents would be submitted to us before the league's waiver deadline.''
''We did not receive the documents from Elvis by the league's deadline and were forced to release him shortly before 2 p.m. MDT,'' Elway said.

Dumervil's agent, Marty Magid, did not return messages left by AP via text and voicemail.

Also Friday, Greg Jennings left Green Bay to head to rival Minnesota, Dustin Keller became the latest member of the Jets to leave and Kevin Kolb was released by Arizona.

Jennings spent seven years getting the best of the Vikings' secondary while playing for their bitter rivals in Green Bay. No longer feeling as important to the Packers after two seasons shortened by injuries, Jennings crossed the border and found a team that welcomed him with desperately open arms. Jennings signed a five-year contract with the Vikings on Friday.

BASEBALL: Puerto Rico eliminates US to reach World Baseball Classic semis

MIAMI (AP) - Once again, the United States could only watch as an opposing pitcher celebrated at the World Baseball Classic.

This time it was 38-year-old right-hander Nelson Figueroa, who became the pride of Puerto Rico on Friday night when he led his team into the semifinals and eliminated the Americans, 4-3.

On Thursday, demonstrative Dominicans dominated the All-Star-laden U.S. squad. The Americans endured a scoreless streak of 14 innings spanning the two defeats, and Figueroa limited them to two singles in six shutout innings.

Puerto Rico advanced for the first time to the semifinals, which begin Sunday in San Francisco. They'll play the Dominican Republic on Saturday in the final game in Miami, which will determine seedings for the championship round.

Two-time defending champion Japan and the Netherlands round out the final four.

NBA Top Stories - Miami Heat, LA Lakers Win

 
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- LeBron James and Chris Bosh scored 28 points each, as the Miami Heat made it 21 straight wins, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 107-94 on Friday night.

Only three other teams have won 20 in a row in one season, and the Heat now trail just the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers (33) and the 2007-08 Houston Rockets (22) after moving ahead of the 1970-71 Bucks.

They withstood an early scare when Dwyane Wade walked to the locker room with a neck strain after crashing to the court. Miami led by as much as 17 in the third quarter, then withstood a push by the Bucks to remain unbeaten since a loss at Indiana on Feb. 1.

Miami next plays Sunday at Toronto, where the winning streak began on Feb. 3.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - After hobbling around on a severely sprained left ankle for one quarter, Kobe Bryant took himself out of the game and made sure he was the most valuable player on the Los Angeles Lakers' bench.

He exhorted his teammates to play hard, to read the defense and to take advantage of any openings they found against Indiana. He diagrammed plays and pulled players aside, coaching them up all night. Then, Dwight Howard completed a tiebreaking three-point play with 90 seconds to go, and the Lakers pulled away from Indiana for a 99-93 win.

Bryant, known as a remarkably quick healer who hasn't missed a game since the 2009-10 season, gallantly played less than 48 hours after turning his ankle when he landed on Dahntay Jones' foot in the waning seconds of Wednesday's loss at Atlanta.

Ex-NBA player banned in Philippines for "choking" team mate

Former NBA player Renaldo Balkman has been banned from the Philippine Basketball Association in the Philippines for choking a teammate during a game.

The former New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets player has also been slapped with a fine of 250,000 Philippine pesos ($6,100) over the incident, Philippine Basketball Association commissioner Chito Salud said in a statement on Monday.

Howard leads Lakers over Bulls 90-81

The Los Angeles Lakers routed the Chicago Bulls, 90-81, at home to improve to 33-31. It marks the first time this season they have been two games over .500. The Lakers also moved a half-game ahead of the Utah Jazz and into sole possession of the No. 8 playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Dwight Howard had 16 points and 21 rebounds; Kobe Bryant finished 19 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds; and Steve Nash chipped in 16 points. They led by as many as 18 points in the third period.

"We're very focused," Bryant said. "We know what we have to do and what lies ahead. Everybody's locked in."

"I think I am getting a little bit better," said Howard, who was 0 for 5 from the free throw line. ''I'm just going to keep working on my conditioning, get my timing back and just keep going hard.''

The Lakers, who have won eight of 10 since the All-Star break, led by four points at halftime. But point guard Steve Nash keyed a 21-7 third-quarter spurt that put the Lakers up by as many as 18 points. Nash scored 10 of his 16 points in the third quarter.

Tiger Woods wins in Miami

Tiger Woods had a dominant win at the World Golf Championships tournament at Doral with a two-shot victory over Steve Stricker.

Graeme McDowell's day fell apart on the back nine and the Northern Irishman tied for third with Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson.

This is Tiger Woods second win in 2013 and moved him closer to Rory McIlroy's number one spot in the world rankings.

Former Knicks Renaldo Balkman choke a teammate

Former NBA player Renaldo Balkman who used to play for the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets has apologized for choking a teammate during a game with his new team in the Philippine Basketball Association.

Balkman, 28 at 6'8" playing for the Petron Blaze Boosters, argued with a referee  and shoved the referee's arm then pushed away an assistant coach and a couple of other teammates. When Arwind Santos intervened they exchanged shoves before Balkman wrapped his hands around Santos' neck and choked him.

After the game Balkman sent out a series of apologies on Twitter:

"I wld like to apologize to the fans, Petron Blaze, my teammates, the PBA and especially @tubidronald71 and @Arwind029," he tweeted, adding, "I got caught up in the moment of a very intense game. I respect @Arwind029 as a person & player. I am proud to be part of @PetronBlaze fam."

Juwan Howard signs 10-day with Heat

The Miami Heat sign Juwan Howard 40, on Saturday to a 10-day contract. It will be his 19th NBA season.

Howard had been a respected leader on the Heat and was popular with teammates, coaches and management. He played sparingly in three Miami playoff victories on the way to his first championship ring in 2012.

Howard has averaged 13.4 points and 6.2 rebounds. Howard was drafted fifth overall by Washington in 1994 and was a member of Michigan's Fab 5 with Chris Webber and Jalen Rose.