By Joey Knight, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, March 17, 2012

TAMPA — The tough breaks in Trayvon Bromell's athletic career can be quantified with X-rays.

In the last 14 months, the Gibbs junior's injuries have ranged from a broken left hip to a broken right forearm to a dislocated knee.

But so far this spring, the buzz over Bromell has dealt far more with clean starts than clean fractures. And on a mildly breezy Saturday at USF, his finish wasn't bad either.

Running into a moderate wind, Bromell won the boys 100-meter dash at the USF/Steinbrenner Invitational in 10.85 seconds. A year ago at this time, he was nursing a broken hip suffered while changing gears in an early season race.

"It says a lot for him as an athlete and as a person," Gladiators coach Natalie Allen said, "because he has a pin in his hip right now."

While Bromell's triumph started the running finals at a meet featuring roughly 75 teams, Lakewood's boys provided a mesmerizing finish.

Trailing three runners when he took the baton in the second leg of the boys 4x400 relay, Spartans junior Shaquill Griffin closed the gap by the end of his lap, propelling his team to a victory in a meet-record 3 minutes, 20.81 seconds. Behind Griffin and twin brother Shaquem, Lakewood finished second in the team standings with 52 points, eight behind Fort Myers.

Shaquem and Shaquill placed first and second, respectively, in the boys triple jump, formed half of the 4x400 team (with Tim Holmes and Raymon Cleveland) and ran on the 4x100 squad that placed second to Armwood.

"Early in the season, we never had a push. I never had anybody actually in front of me so I could go catch them, so that was a big change," Shaquill said of his 4x400 leg.

St. Petersburg pole vaulter Cayman Ellis' 13-foot, 6-inch effort won by 6 inches. Dunedin's Hannah Welsh won the girls high jump (5-4).

North Suncoast standouts included Anclote senior Argishti Gazari, who won the boys 3,200 in a meet-record 9:31.79.

On the girls side, Wiregrass Ranch junior Alisha Henry won the pole vault with a personal-best 11-3 effort.

By Rodney Page, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, March 17, 2012

PALM HARBOR — PGA Tour veterans Retief Goosen and Jim Furyk have not gotten off to the best of starts this season.

But when the Transitions Championship rolls around, the duo seem to get their games in shape.

Goosen, the 2003 and 2009 tournament champion, and Furyk, the 2010 winner, found themselves tied for the lead at 11-under 202 after Saturday's third round on the par-71 Copperhead course at Innisbrook. They were being chased by a pair of players looking for their first tour win, Sang-Moon Bae and second-round leader Jason Dufner. Both were one back.

Two shots back were John Mallinger and Ken Duke. There were 18 players within four shots of the lead, including Luke Donald, the No. 2-ranked player in the world (8 under), and Padraig Harrington, the first-round leader (7 under).

"I always look forward to this tournament," Furyk said.

Furyk, 41, who has finished among the top 25 only once in four events this year, made his move by shooting 5-under 66 with four birdies on the front nine. His only stumble was bogey on the par-4 18th hole. It was his second 66 of the tournament and third consecutive round under par.

"I felt good about what I was doing and hit some good putts," said Furyk, who birdied the first, fourth and fifth holes. "And I just really played solid on the back nine."

Goosen, 43, who has no top-25 finishes among three tournaments this year, shot the low round of the day, 6-under 65. It was his lowest round on the course despite a bogey on the third hole. It also was his third consecutive round in the 60s.

And Goosen did it with an ailing back.

"My back has been my main issue this year," said Goosen, whose best finish is a tie for 35th at last month's Northern Trust Open. "The last three weeks, it's started getting bad again."

Goosen, bad back and all, will try to become the first three-time winner of the tournament since it started in 2000. He hasn't won a tournament since the 2009 Transitions.

"It would be nice to be the first person to win it three times," Goosen said.

He'll have to hold off playing-partner Furyk as well as a slew of others. Furyk was winless on tour last year and struggled with his putting and driving. He did have four top-10 finishes but fell out of the top 50 in the world (61st).

He said he needed to refocus for the 2012 season.

"I needed last year to end," Furyk said.

"I needed to take time off, take a deep breath and refocus my goals. I'm playing much better golf this year than I was last year."

Goosen and Furyk have Bae to thank for sharing the lead. Bae was up by two when he reached the par-4 16th hole. His drive went long and into the woods. By the time he hacked out and putted in, Bae made triple bogey and fell to 9 under.

He salvaged his round with birdie on the 17th hole to finish at 3-under 68.

"I hit my second shot a little far," said Bae, a 25-year-old rookie from South Korea. "The lie was very tough in the rough. My chipping and putting wasn't too bad."

If there is a good sign for Furyk, it's that he didn't hit the ball straight Saturday but still managed a good score. If he does that today, he could be holding his second Transitions Championship trophy.

"I made some birdies out of the rough," Furyk said. "I hit less than 50 percent of the fairways (in regulation). So obviously, I was playing well. I was able to knock some putts in and keep the round going."

Rodney Page can be reached at page@tampabay.com.

By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, March 17, 2012

NASHVILLE — There have been flashes of real promise from Victor Rudd, like a 30-point night against Marist in his second game at USF, or when he had 24 points in the second half of a January win against St. John's.

But for sustained success, for being a consistent, reliable scoring threat, the 6-foot-7 sophomore forward didn't have that until the past two weeks. In that time he has come up huge, scoring at least 13 points in two Big East tournament games and the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament victories.

"I think his last two weeks have been really, really good," coach Stan Heath said after Rudd scored 17 in Friday's 58-44 win against Temple, the fifth seed in the Midwest Region. "He's really stepped up in a big way."

Twelfth seed USF (22-13) finds itself one win from the Sweet 16, facing 13th seed Ohio tonight in a battle of overachieving programs fresh off huge upsets.

Alongside freshman point guard Anthony Collins, Rudd has emerged in the postseason as the Bulls' best scoring option, capable of long-range shots and SportsCenter-quality dunks as well.

"Victor is playing with a lot of confidence right now," senior center Ron Anderson said. "I think him, along with everybody else on our team … as we move on in the tournament and we show ourselves that we can play the type of game we've been trying to play all year, good things are going to happen."

Rudd, who sat out last season after transferring from Arizona State, opened Friday's second-round game with a 3-pointer as the Bulls took a 5-2 lead before missing 22 shots in a row. When the Bulls found their offense, hitting 9 of 11 to open the second half, he had another 3 to give the Bulls a 14-point lead. Most important, when Temple scored 11 straight to cut USF's lead to three, Rudd came through with a key 3, sparking a 17-4 run to end the game.

"We just had a will to win," said Rudd, who went 4-for-6 on 3-pointers and 5-for-6 on free throws in the win, raising his average to 9.1 points per game. "Me and Coach have been talking all year about me finding a line between shooting a lot and shooting a little bit. I think I've found that, found that in between, where I don't take a lot of shots and I don't not shoot. I think it's going good for me right now."

Continuing that, harnessing Rudd's potential and turning him into an every-game scoring threat, is something exciting for Heath, something that has helped USF in its historic past two games and could continue to do so beyond this season.

"My dad used to come down (from his home in Michigan to watch practice), and he used to call him a gunslinger," Heath said Friday night. "When he gets it going a little bit, he can roll. He can really make some shots go in. … It's one of those things with him, where you want to let him go, and sometimes you've got to pull the reins back. But when he gets going, you've got to ride him out a little bit."

Greg Auman can be reached at auman@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3346.

By Joey Knight, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, March 17, 2012

TAMPA — For all practical intents, Saturday's USF/Steinbrenner Invitational, a sprawling third-year event featuring roughly 75 teams, represented Alexis Wright's season debut.

She can only hope her season finale is equally prolific.

On a mildly windy day at the USF Track & Field Stadium, the Steinbrenner senior won the triple jump and 100-meter hurdles, placed third in the 300 hurdles and finished eighth in the high jump to highlight the showing by Hillsborough County athletes.

"In general, I'd say a good day," said Wright, who collected three state medals at last year's Class 2A meet, including gold in the 100 hurdles.

Wright, whose participation this spring had been limited to a couple of hand-timed meets and the Nash Higgins Relays, collected 27 points for the runnerup Warriors. Her time in the 300 hurdles (45.39 seconds) was seven-hundredths of a second off her third-place time at state.

"That's probably my third time this year running the 300 hurdles," she said. "I just didn't have the opportunity; we just didn't have the meets. I ran against amazing girls that pushed me to 45 (seconds)."

Nearly as prosperous were Hillsborough junior Jorian Ordway and Spoto senior Eric Moate, who shined in three races despite not eating a thing, a prerace custom.

Moate won the 200 (21.93), placed third in the high jump (6 feet) and ran the second leg on the 4x100 relay that placed second to Armwood in 42.67. The Hawks quartet — siblings Wade and Kaylaun Edwards, Leon McQuay III and Alvin Bailey — finished in 42.21.

"I had a lot of Gatorade, but I feel like if I eat it will make me bring it up," Moate said.

Ordway won the girls 400 in a personal-best 56.52. She also ran on the winning 4x400 relay (3:58.49) that propelled Hillsborough to a fourth-place team finish.

Elsewhere, Gaither's Paul Barrett won the 300 hurdles (39.18) and placed second in the high jump (6-4). Chamberlain senior Max del Monte won the 1,600 in 4:23.64.

Times wires
Saturday, March 17, 2012

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Marquette has perfected the art of the comeback.

With Marquette down late again, Jae Crowder scored six points during a decisive 14-2 run and the third-seeded Golden Eagles pulled away from Murray State for a 62-53 victory Saturday that sent them into next weekend's West Region semifinals.

Crowder finished with 17 points, 12 in the second half, and 13 rebounds. Darius Johnson-Odom also scored 17 for Marquette (27-7).

"When you're playing a team like Murray State, they're going to keep throwing punches and throwing punches, and you have to find a way to slow them down," Johnson-Odom said. "We did a great job of that."

Isaiah Canaan had 16 points and six rebounds for the sixth-seeded Racers (31-2), who fell just short of their first trip to the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years. This one is sure to sting, too, even if it wasn't as gut-wrenchingly close. Murray State lost to Butler 54-52 in 2010 when Butler's Gordon Hayward forced a Canaan turnover with about 10 seconds left.

The Racers have come a long way since. They won their first 23 games this season, were the last team in the country to lose and showed against Marquette they can play with anyone.

"We proved (Saturday) that we belong, and we belonged on a national stage," Racers coach Steve Prohm said. "We just weren't good enough the last seven minutes."

Give Marquette some credit for that. Despite a decided size advantage, the Golden Eagles could not get in sync against the speedy, aggressive Racers.

That Marquette was essentially playing a road game couldn't have helped. Plenty of Racers fans made the 31/2-hour drive for the game, and Kentucky fans jumped on the bandwagon in a show of state solidarity. When Jewuan Long made a layup to put the Racers up 46-41 with 7:43 to play, the crowd responded with the kind of roar usually reserved for that other Kentucky team.

But the Golden Eagles had plenty of practice at rallying during the regular season, when they came back to win six games after trailing by 11 or more, and never doubted they could come back against the Racers. "Eight minutes," Johnson-Odom said, "is like 30 minutes."

LOUISVILLE 59, NEW MEXICO 56: Russ Smith had 17 points as the Cardinals (28-9) held off the Lobos (28-7) in Portland, Ore., for their sixth straight win to advance to the region semifinals for the first time since 2009.

Trailing 53-46, New Mexico's Drew Gordon hit two free throws, and Demetrius Walker made a 3-pointer to pull within 53-51 with 1:36 left. Smith made two free throws for fourth-seeded Louisville, but Gordon answered with a tip-in.

Gorgui Dieng dunked with 32.3 seconds left and Peyton Siva added two free throws to make it 59-53. Gordon hit a 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left, but it was too late for the Lobos, who have never been to the Sweet 16.

By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, March 17, 2012

TAMPA — All of a sudden the Lightning needs to start looking down instead of up.

After Saturday night's 3-1 loss to the Blues at the Tampa Bay Times Forum, the team is in 12th place in the Eastern Conference. And after its fifth loss in six games, it is tied with the Hurricanes at the bottom of the Southeast Division.

The Lightning (32-32-7) is technically ahead of Carolina because it has played one fewer game, but that is little consolation to a team that about two weeks ago was fighting for a playoff spot.

Now it's just playing for pride.

"We can't just put our heads down," wing Tom Pyatt said. "We have to keep fighting. That's the kind of character we have. We're going to fight to the end."

"It would be easy to fold the tent," right wing Teddy Purcell said. "But you really show who you are when you have some adversity and you have a real tough hill to climb. Hopefully, this will make us better in the end."

It is not as if the injury-depleted Lightning played that badly.

It limited the Blues — the league's No. 1 team and, with the win, the first to reach 100 points and clinch a playoff spot — to 21 shots.

Defenseman Brendan Mikkelson, playing as a forward because of an injury to Ryan Shannon, scored his first NHL goal in his 116th game, and goaltender Dwayne Roloson was steady enough with 18 saves.

Tampa Bay just could not convert its scoring chances, and against St. Louis, with the best goaltending in the league, that is not good enough, especially when behind 2-0 in the first period.

"You know if you start the game behind the eight ball, it's a tough hill to climb," coach Guy Boucher said.

Purcell and Steven Stamkos were stoned from the slot by goaltender Jaroslav Halak, who entered with a 1.87 goals-against average, second in the league to teammate Brian Elliott.

Two minutes after Stamkos was stopped, Patrik Berglund scored short-handed on a two-on-one, and Jaden Schwartz, 19, made it 2-0 with 35.5 seconds left with the first shot of his first NHL game.

Halak also stopped Brett Connolly's second-period breakaway to preserve the 3-0 advantage.

It's not going to get easier for Tampa Bay. With the playoffs a mathematical possibility but quite unlikely, it will be interesting to see how the players handle the dynamic.

"My message was never about the playoffs," Boucher said. "So the message doesn't change; it's 'get better every day.' "

"You just have to keep battling through," Purcell said, "and stay positive."

First Period—1, St. Louis, Berglund 17 (Pietrangelo, Oshie), 15:00 (sh). 2, St. Louis, Schwartz 1 (Stewart, Colaiacovo), 19:24 (pp). Penalties—Malone, TB (goaltender interference), :52; Nichol, StL (holding), 13:08; Hall, TB (high-sticking), 18:28.

Second Period—3, St. Louis, Perron 15 (Oshie), 2:47. Penalties—None.

Third Period—4, Tampa Bay, Mikkelson 1 (Hall, Wallace), 15:49. Penalties—Langenbrunner, StL (hooking), 5:44; Colaiacovo, StL (high-sticking), 12:41. Shots on Goal—St. Louis 13-3-5—21. Tampa Bay 6-8-9—23. Power-play opportunities—St. Louis 1 of 2; Tampa Bay 0 of 3. Goalies—St. Louis, Halak 25-10-6 (23 shots-22 saves). Tampa Bay, Roloson 8-14-2 (21-18). A—18,777 (19,204). T—2:19. Referees—Gord Dwyer, Brad Meier. Linesmen—Matt MacPherson, Anthony Sericolo.

By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, March 17, 2012

NASHVILLE — Ohio point guard D.J. Cooper, the Bobcats' leader and top scorer, was asked Saturday if he had thought about how a win today would mean a trip to the Sweet 16, or if he's blocking that out.

"That was our goal … just to focus on the four teams in our bracket," he said. "That was one of our goals … beat Michigan, play the winner between South Florida and Temple. And it's Temple, so now our focus is on Temple."

There was an awkward second, and he was nudged by a teammate. "I mean South Florida," Cooper said. "My bad."

Ohio certainly knows whom it's playing tonight, as USF knows whom it's up against; just as the Bulls' biggest regular-season win came at Louisville, Ohio was up six with four minutes to play before letting Louisville escape with a win in November.

"(We're) playing a very good South Florida ballclub … watched a lot of film on them and really appreciate how tough they are and how physical they are and how well they defend," Ohio coach John Groce said. "(Stan Heath has) got those kids playing at a pretty high level right now."

HAPPY FOR THEM: As much as anyone, Seth Greenberg can understand the challenge of trying to get USF into the NCAA Tournament, but the former Bulls coach said Saturday that he's glad to see the school's success. "They're a senior-oriented team with a terrific, young point guard," the current Virginia Tech coach said. "They obviously check you each and every possession. They finish possessions. It looks like Victor Rudd is playing at a really high level right now with a lot of confidence. In Anthony Collins, you have a great point guard that creates possibilities. They've won a lot of close games, and that's a testament to Coach Heath. Stan's done a great job of getting those guys to buy in to how they need to play to win."

STATE PRIDE: FSU and USF are both in Nashville this weekend, and with Florida still alive in Omaha, Neb., the state could have three teams in the Sweet 16. FSU's Leonard Hamilton said that's good news for all the programs in the state.

"I think that just shows that progress is being made in the state of Florida," said Hamilton, noting that Miami nearly made the NCAA cut as well. "What can you say about South Florida, they turned their program around and (are) playing excellent basketball. (Florida) has been kind of the leader in the state going back-to-back Final Fours and winning the championships. I think this is a great time for college basketball in the state."

DON'T CALL IT AN UPSET: Hamilton wants everyone to call these "upset" games for what they are: just good basketball. He doesn't buy into the notion that better seeds mean better teams.

"I said prior to coming to the tournament that they need to eliminate the word 'upset' from the vocabulary," Hamilton said. "The process we go by evaluating teams and putting them in positions and whether or not they're 16, three, four, five; I think it's very difficult to be accurate with that."

THIS AND THAT: Out of 32 second-round games, only Murray State (holding Colorado State to 41) held its opponent to fewer points than USF did in limiting Temple to 44. … Cincinnati's Yancy Gates, on whether he's pulling for other Big East schools such as USF in the tournament: "We do cheer for each other. It's not just, you know, a hate thing going on. Just that way during the season."

By Laura Keeley, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, March 17, 2012

TAMPA—For the first time this season at Hyer Family Park, the line drives smoked into the outfield and the homer sent out of the park and all the way to the football field didn't belong to Jesuit.

In a matchup of highly ranked teams, Miami Gulliver Prep, No. 12 in the state's ESPNHS/Powerade rankings, shut down No. 1 Jesuit en route to a 3-0 victory Saturday. Raiders pitcher Ivan Pelaez, a Miami commitment, only needed 76 pitches to throw a two-hit complete-game shutout, while striking out six and walking none, to hand the Tigers their first loss of the year.

"We swung the bats pretty well tonight and had competitive at-bats, but we didn't have competitive results," coach Richie Warren said, noting that his Tigers (10-1) added nine fly outs. "When you give a team 15 easy outs in a 21-out game, it's going to be hard to score. You take away one bad hop, and we're still playing baseball here in the eighth."

That hop came with two outs in the third and allowed Gulliver Prep (9-3) to score the first run. The next batter, LSU signee Chris Chinea, hit a two-run homer to left that landed in the football bleachers. None of the runs were earned against Tigers pitcher Conor O'Brien, but that was more than enough for Pelaez, who was scheduled to throw four or five innings but went the distance because of his low pitch count.

One highlight for Jesuit was a diving, over-the-shoulder catch by ace pitcher Lance McCullers in his outfield debut. With a runner on in the sixth, McCullers made the catch, spun around and fired a strike to second base, where Vincent Miniet threw on to first to complete a double play.

The Tigers are completely focused on just one goal.

"Now we're going to go out and take care of business, finish district play hopefully undefeated and hopefully try to win a state championship, which is our main goal," McCullers said. "For us, it was never about the perfect record."

Times wires
Saturday, March 17, 2012

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Wisconsin is riding the nation's stingiest defense, and admittedly a bit of luck, back to the round of 16.

The Badgers held the SEC's two leading scorers in check Saturday night and Ryan Evans grabbed a crucial rebound with 2.1 seconds left to help them fend off Vanderbilt 60-57.

The Badgers (26-9) held John Jenkins (averaging 20.1 points) and Jeffery Taylor (16.3) to 13 and nine points, respectively, in advancing to face top-seeded Syracuse in the East Region in Boston.

Jenkins got one good look at the basket all night, and it came on an open 3-pointer in the final seconds. With the Commodores (25-11) trailing 59-57, Jenkins created space from Jarred Berggren, but like so many of his other shots on this night, this one was long.

"That was as wide open a shot as we gave up the whole game," Badgers coach Bo Ryan said. "It just didn't happen to go down."

Evans grabbed the rebound among a mosh pit of bodies under the basket, corralling the ball and drawing a foul with 2.1 seconds left.

"It was a pretty good look," Jenkins said. "I felt like I got a good chance of having it going in, just like a lot of looks I had (Saturday). It just didn't drop for me."

Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings wanted a whistle on the Badgers but didn't get it. If the fourth-seeded Badgers didn't get away with a foul, they knew they got away with a rare defensive breakdown.

OHIO ST. 73, GONZAGA 66: Jared Sullinger overcame foul trouble and a solid Bulldogs defense that frustrated him for 36 minutes to score 18, including two big baskets on soft hook shots in the final three minutes to lead the second-seeded Buckeyes (29-7) over Gonzaga (26-7) in Pittsburgh and to a spot in the region semifinals for the third straight year.

"I knew that throwing my body and creating contact wasn't going to work in this game," he said. "So I kind of just went with a little bit of finesse and just tried to get off-the-body contact and try to go up and finish."

SYRACUSE 75, KANSAS ST. 59: It had been a while since the Orange had played like the team that spent all season ranked in the top five. In the second half, top-seeded Syracuse (33-2) looked like that team and maybe better, pulling away from the eighth-seeded Wildcats (22-11) in Pittsburgh.

"The second half, we made shots. We haven't done that lately," Orange coach Jim Boeheim said. "Our offense was not good in the first half. We had to pick it up on the offensive end."

Times wires
Saturday, March 17, 2012

INDIANAPOLIS — Jeremy Lin scored 19 to help the Knicks beat the Pacers 102-88 on Saturday and improve to 3-0 under interim coach Mike Woodson.

Lin also had seven rebounds and six assists while Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire each scored 16 for New York.

The Knicks, who had lost six in a row before the current win streak, have won the three games by an average of 23.7 points since Woodson took over for Mike D'Antoni, who resigned Wednesday.

Roy Hibbert had 24 points and 12 rebounds for Indiana.

Consecutive 3-point plays by Hibbert cut New York's lead to 72-70. It trailed 77-74 at the end of the third but made just 4 of 15 shots in the fourth.

Lin scored on a floater and made a jumper on the next possession to push New York's lead to 86-79. Pacers coach Frank Vogel got a technical foul, and Anthony made the free throw to push the Knicks' lead to eight.

New York pulled away from there, leading by as many as 16. Lin scored eight during the fourth.

Game highlights: Chris Paul scored 12 of his 23 during the final 2:42 to lead the host Clippers past the Rockets 95-91. Down six, the point guard's 16-footer and four free throws tied it at 87. Another jumper tied it at 89. A layup with 24.6 seconds left put Los Angeles ahead. And he sealed it with two free throws with 3.6 seconds left. … D.J. Augustin had 23 points and 11 assists as the host Bobcats beat the Raptors 107-103. Charlotte trailed by 15 in the second quarter then led by as many as 16 in the fourth.

Around the league: Bulls star point guard Derrick Rose missed his third game because of a strained groin. It's the 13th game this season Rose has missed. The Bulls, who are uncertain when he will return, entered Saturday's play 8-4 without him. … Raptors guard Jose Calderon missed his fifth game because of a sprained right ankle sustained March 10 against the Pistons. Coach Dwane Casey said Calderon could return this week. … Golden State guard Stephen Curry missed his fourth game because of a sprained right ankle. He remains day to day. … Forward Al Jefferson, Utah's leading scorer and rebounder, missed Saturday's game to attend his grandmother's funeral in Mississippi. … Mavericks forward Shawn Marion sat with a sore left knee.

Knicks 102, Pacers 88

NEW YORK (102): Anthony 6-13 3-7 16, Stoudemire 4-8 8-8 16, Chandler 3-5 2-2 8, Lin 6-10 7-8 19, Fields 3-7 3-4 9, Smith 4-12 0-0 11, Jeffries 1-5 4-4 6, Shumpert 1-6 4-7 6, Bibby 2-5 0-0 5, Novak 2-6 0-0 6. Totals 32-77 31-40 102.

INDIANA (88): Granger 5-15 0-0 11, West 1-4 1-2 3, Hibbert 8-13 8-9 24, Collison 6-16 3-4 15, George 6-13 4-5 18, Hansbrough 2-4 1-1 5, Hill 1-7 1-2 4, Amundson 0-0 0-0 0, Price 1-5 2-4 4, Jones 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 32-79 20-27 88.

New York 33 27 17 25— 102

Indiana 35 16 23 14— 88

3-Point Goals—New York 7-24 (Smith 3-8, Novak 2-6, Bibby 1-2, Anthony 1-4, Shumpert 0-1, Lin 0-1, Fields 0-2), Indiana 4-19 (George 2-5, Hill 1-5, Granger 1-6, Collison 0-1, Price 0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—New York 58 (Chandler 9), Indiana 50 (Hibbert 12). Assists—New York 16 (Lin 6), Indiana 16 (George 4). Total Fouls—New York 22, Indiana 26. Technicals—Hill, Indiana Coach Vogel. A—18,165 (18,165).

Clippers 95, Rockets 91

HOUSTON (91): Budinger 8-14 1-1 19, Scola 4-14 2-5 10, Dalembert 4-5 0-0 8, Dragic 4-10 3-3 11, Lee 9-14 3-3 25, Morris 1-3 2-2 4, Patterson 5-11 4-4 14, Fortson 0-0 0-0 0, Smith 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 35-72 15-18 91.

L.A. CLIPPERS (95): Butler 4-15 2-2 11, Griffin 7-13 4-6 18, Jordan 2-5 2-3 6, Paul 7-16 8-8 23, Foye 6-17 2-2 15, Evans 0-1 1-4 1, Williams 5-11 0-0 11, Ken.Martin 3-5 0-2 7, Simmons 1-3 0-0 3, Bledsoe 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-86 19-27 95.

Houston 23 24 19 25— 91

L.A. Clippers 19 20 30 26— 95

3-Point Goals—Houston 6-20 (Lee 4-9, Budinger 2-6, Morris 0-2, Dragic 0-3), L.A. Clippers 6-23 (Ken.Martin 1-1, Simmons 1-3, Williams 1-3, Paul 1-4, Butler 1-6, Foye 1-6). Fouled Out—Griffin. Rebounds—Houston 43 (Scola 11), L.A. Clippers 56 (Jordan 11). Assists—Houston 25 (Dragic 14), L.A. Clippers 18 (Paul 5). Total Fouls—Houston 25, L.A. Clippers 17. Technicals—L.A. Clippers Bench. A—19,060 (19,060).

Bobcats 107, Raptors 103

TORONTO (103): J.Johnson 0-2 0-0 0, Bargnani 4-10 2-2 11, Gray 3-5 0-0 6, Bayless 10-16 4-5 29, DeRozan 6-12 8-12 20, Kleiza 6-9 0-0 13, A.Johnson 1-1 4-4 6, Davis 3-6 1-1 7, Forbes 4-10 0-0 9, Magloire 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 38-73 19-24 103.

CHARLOTTE (107): Maggette 3-11 14-14 21, Thomas 3-6 5-7 11, Biyombo 4-8 1-2 9, Augustin 6-11 9-9 23, Henderson 11-14 2-2 24, White 4-7 0-0 8, Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Walker 1-7 0-0 2, Brown 1-1 0-0 2, Mullens 1-3 0-0 2, Najera 2-3 0-0 5. Totals 36-71 31-34 107.

Toronto 29 24 14 36— 103

Charlotte 20 23 38 26— 107

3-Point Goals—Toronto 8-18 (Bayless 5-6, Bargnani 1-2, Kleiza 1-3, Forbes 1-5, DeRozan 0-2), Charlotte 4-9 (Augustin 2-5, Najera 1-1, Maggette 1-1, Walker 0-1, Henderson 0-1). Fouled Out—Bayless, Thomas. Rebounds—Toronto 42 (Davis 12), Charlotte 36 (Biyombo 9). Assists—Toronto 20 (Bayless 6), Charlotte 25 (Augustin 11). Total Fouls—Toronto 36, Charlotte 21. Technicals—Bayless. A—15,108 (19,077).

Hornets 102, Nets 94

NEW ORLEANS (102): Ariza 3-7 2-3 10, Ayon 4-8 0-0 8, Kaman 9-13 2-2 20, Jack 6-14 2-2 16, Belinelli 8-13 0-0 20, Ja.Smith 3-9 0-0 6, Henry 1-3 2-2 4, Vasquez 2-6 2-2 6, Aminu 1-3 0-0 2, Thomas 4-5 2-2 10. Totals 41-81 12-13 102.

NEW JERSEY (94): Wallace 3-9 4-4 11, Humphries 3-10 2-2 8, S.Williams 3-3 1-1 7, D.Williams 9-24 0-0 20, Brooks 3-7 3-5 10, Petro 0-2 0-0 0, Morrow 8-13 0-0 20, Je.Smith 1-4 0-0 2, Green 6-13 2-2 16, J.Williams 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 36-86 12-14 94.

New Orleans 26 21 23 32— 102

New Jersey 29 22 31 12— 94

3-Point Goals—New Orleans 8-16 (Belinelli 4-6, Ariza 2-3, Jack 2-6, Vasquez 0-1), New Jersey 10-23 (Morrow 4-4, Green 2-4, D.Williams 2-7, Brooks 1-2, Wallace 1-5, Je.Smith 0-1). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—New Orleans 46 (Ayon 9), New Jersey 47 (Humphries 16). Assists—New Orleans 29 (Vasquez 9), New Jersey 23 (D.Williams 12). Total Fouls—New Orleans 14, New Jersey 13. A—11,271 (18,711).

Times wires
Saturday, March 17, 2012

Track

double-amputee moves closer to Olympic spot

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Oscar Pistorius beat the 400-meter qualifying mark for the second time Saturday, moving the South African closer to becoming the first amputee to compete at the Olympics.

Pistorius, 25, a double-amputee using carbon fiber blades, finished in 45.2 seconds, 0.1 seconds faster than the mark. He ran a 45.07 last year and now must top the time at an international race once more to qualify.

"I am trying to take it all in," said Pistorius, who last year became the first amputee to compete at the world championships. "When I … saw the time, it was such a magical moment."

Pistorius' next race has not been determined.

Tennis

Isner powers past world's No. 1

No. 11 John Isner had 20 aces, including one at 135 mph on match point, to defeat No. 1 Novak Djokovic 7-6 (9-7), 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) in the BNP Paribas Open semis in Indian Wells, Calif. Isner had serves of 143 mph and 144 mph during the third-set tiebreaker. The Tampa resident takes on No. 3 Roger Federer, who beat No. 2 Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-4.

Soccer

Bolton player, 23, collapses at game

Bolton MF Fabrice Muamba, 23, was in critical condition at a London hospital after collapsing in the 41st minute against Tottenham. Medics used a defibrillator and pumped his chest for about six minutes. The game did not continue.

Et cetera

Colleges: Penn State won its second straight national wrestling title. It clinched before the night session in St. Louis, during which it won three finals, and finished with 143 points, 251/2 more than Minnesota. … Florida's Elizabeth Beisel won the 200-yard back at the women's national swim meet in Auburn, Ala. Megan Romano (Northeast High) took second in the 100 free for Georgia, which finished second to Cal. … Host Tampa (18-5, 2-4 Sunshine State) beat Florida Tech 6-3 to give baseball coach Joe Urso his 500th win. … Kayla Cox (East Bay) struck out 16 and extended her scoreless streak to 371/3 innings as host Tampa softball beat Saint Leo 3-0. Deanna Henriott (St. Petersburg Catholic) won Game 2 for Tampa (25-3, 9-0 SSC) 4-1, but her school-record scoreless streak ended at 51 innings.

Skiing: American Lindsey Vonn set a women's World Cup record for points in a season by taking eighth in a slalom in Schladming, Austria. She has 1,980, 10 more than Croatia's Janica Kostelic in 2006, and needs 21 (12th or better) in today's giant slalom to beat the overall record of 2,000 of Austria's Hermann Maier set in 2000.

Swimming: Ian Thorpe, who recently ended a five-year retirement, failed to qualify for the Olympics at Australia's trials in Adelaide.

Horses: Arena Elvira edged R Gypsy Gold to win the $50,000 Wayward Lass Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar. … Secret Circle won the $500,000 Rebel Stakes by three-quarters of a length at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. … Include Me Out won the $300,000 Santa Margarita Stakes by 33/4 lengths at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

Don Jensen, Times correspondent; Times wires

Times wires
Saturday, March 17, 2012

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Georgetown coach John Thompson III was patiently taking questions Saturday about his third-seeded Hoyas team that meets 11th seed North Carolina State in a Midwest Region game today.

An enterprising writer from Carolina had a question about a lingering grudge from when the teams met in the NCAA Tournament's East Region semifinals.

"I'm not sure what your memories are of the 1989 game between Georgetown and N.C. State," the reporter began, "but there's a significant portion of the people in Raleigh who think Alonzo Mourning fouled Chris Corchiani at the end of that game instead of the travel that was called. Do you remember any of that?"

Thompson laughed.

His father, John Thompson Jr., was the coach of the Hoyas when they beat the Wolfpack 69-61 before falling to Duke 85-77 two days later in the round of eight. The younger Thompson was a year out of Princeton at the time.

Two games before, the Hoyas almost became the first and only No. 1 seed to lose to a 16th seed when they held off Princeton 50-49. In that game, the Tigers had two chances to win in the final seconds, but Mourning blocked two shots. Many thought then — and some still do — that the Hoyas center had fouled the shooter.

"I do not remember that game specifically," Thompson said of the N.C. State-Georgetown game. "When you were asking that question, the first thing that went through my head was that there are a lot of people in Princeton, N.J., that think Alonzo Mourning fouled Bobby Scrabis on the last shot of that game. So that must have been the theme that year."

From the other side of a nearby curtain came a booming voice: "Both of them were wrong!"

It was John Thompson Jr.

HENSON UPDATE: North Carolina coach Roy Williams said forward John Henson and his injured wrist were about 50-50 for today against Creighton. And he was wishing people would stop asking about it.

"I'm tired of answering the daggum thing," Williams said. "I really don't have any other information at all to add to what I said" Friday.

Henson, a former Sickles High standout, said his left wrist felt better, and he even showcased some simple movements to reporters in the locker room.

But the wrist had felt good Friday, too, until he started catching basketballs and going through the motions.

"Coach always says you've got to be comfortable," Henson said. "You've got to look confident. I need to show him I'm a little more comfortable than I was" Friday.

Henson said he has been going through a battery of tests to get his wrist in playing shape.

PHILLY HOSPITALITY: Philadelphia 76ers fans made certain Heat forward Shane Battier knew that his beloved Duke Blue Devils became the second No. 15 seed to fall to a No. 2 Friday night.

While the 76ers battled Battier's Heat down the stretch in Philadelphia, fans kept him abreast of the goings-on in the Duke-Lehigh game some 450 miles to the south. Knowing their long memories and reputation for brutality, Battier was reluctant afterward to repeat any of the blow-by-blow descriptions.

"The Philly faithful were very kind to give me updates the whole time," he said finally, "in the way only Philly fans can."

COACHING MILESTONE: Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, whose 889 wins rank third on the Division I list behind Mike Krzyzewski and Bob Knight, earned his 47th NCAA Tournament victory, tied with John Wooden for fifth place.

RATINGS: The first two full days of the tournament Thursday and Friday averaged a 5.3 rating across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. CBS and Turner Sports said Saturday that was up 6 percent from last year.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I can beat Rick. I can get him up and down the court for sure." — Tom Izzo, Michigan State coach, when asked about today's matchup with portly Rick Majerus' Saint Louis squad

Times wires
Saturday, March 17, 2012

TAMPA — Jasmine Wynne had 15 points and Andrell Smith scored 15 off the bench to lead USF past Florida International 77-61 Saturday night in the second round of the WNIT at the USF Recreation Center.

Inga Orekhova added 10 points for the Bulls, who advanced to the third round of the WNIT for the sixth time under coach Jose Fernandez.

"Our guys came out of the gate ready to play," Fernandez said.

USF (19-15) led almost the entire game and took its largest lead at 53-31 on Akila McDonald's free throw with 13:07 left in the game. The Panthers (23-11) cut the deficit to 66-56 with 4:45 left but never got closer.

McDonald finished with eight points and had a career-high 12 rebounds.

"She's a young lady that has continued to develop and grow," Fernandez said. "She gave us a really nice lift."

Everyone who saw playing time scored for USF, which got 30 points from its bench. The Bulls held FIU to 25.9 percent shooting in the first half and 31.6 percent (18-of-57) for the game. USF also had 24 second-chance points to 10 for the Panthers and forced 20 turnovers.

The Bulls, with back-to-back double-digit wins, face the winner of today's game between Wake Forest and James Madison at a date and site to be determined.

Men's NIT

UMASS 77, SETON HALL 67: The way point guard Chaz Williams and his teammates are playing, the Minutemen could very well be taking a trip to New York for the NIT semifinals soon.

Williams scored 20 and hit a big 3-pointer with 2:26 left to lead visiting Massachusetts in the second round. The Minutemen (24-11) have won five of their past six, their only loss by four points to eventual Atlantic 10 champion St. Bonaventure in the league tournament semifinal.

"It's a testament to the guys on my team," coach Derek Kellogg said. "They are playing some of the best basketball we have played all year, and they want to play to July. I keep saying it. They would love to play all the way to July if they could. Maybe even August because the weather is nice."

Massachusetts, which has won consecutive road games in the NIT, advances to a quarterfinal game Tuesday against the winner of today's second-round game between Drexel and Northern Iowa.

DIVISION III: Chris Davis scored 10 of his 12 in the second half and Wisconsin-Whitewater (29-4) rallied from an 18-point second-half deficit to win the NCAA Division III championship, beating Cabrini 63-60 in Salem, Va.

Times wires
Saturday, March 17, 2012

SPOKANE, Wash. — Miami coach Katie Meier looks at playing without all-ACC guard Riquna Williams more as an opportunity than a problem.

Williams missed the trip to Spokane for an unspecified team violation. But it didn't slow the Hurricanes, who blasted Idaho State 70-41 on Saturday in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament.

"We don't have any real adversity," Meier said. "We have opportunity right now."

Shenise Johnson scored 20 for Miami, the No. 3 seed, and made a bit of history by joining Nancy Lieberman as the only Division I players in history with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 500 assists and 400 steals in a career. Johnson needed four more steals to reach the mark and got them against the Bengals.

The Hurricanes (26-5) held Idaho State to a season-low 16 points in the first half and to 25 percent shooting in the game.

Johnson, also an all-ACC pick, said it was part of the plan to jump on the Bengals (24-8) early.

"We wanted to dictate everything that would happen out there," Johnson said. "We wanted to show who Miami is, and we were on our toes tonight."

Miami faces host Gonzaga, the No. 11 seed in the Kingston Region, on Monday, with the winner advancing to the round of 16. Ashleigh Vella led No. 14 seed Idaho State with 12 points.

GONZAGA 86, RUTGERS 73: Also in Spokane, the Bulldogs pulled off the biggest upset of the day in terms of seeding. Kayla Standish scored 23 and Haiden Palmer added 21 for Gonzaga (27-5), which set up a second-round meeting against Miami. Erica Wheeler scored 28 for No. 6 seed Rutgers (22-10), which shot 29 percent in the first half and never caught up after trailing 20-4.

UCONN 83, PRAIRIE VIEW 47: Freshman Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis scored 21, matching Connecticut's record for points in an NCAA Tournament debut, as the top seed Huskies (30-4) cruised in Bridgeport, Conn. Mosqueda-Lewis tied Jamelle Elliott's mark set in 1993; Elliott is now Cincinnati's coach. Latia Williams scored 20 to lead Prairie View (17-16).

KANSAS ST. 67, PRINCETON 64: Senior forward Branshea Brown had a career-high 22 points and added seven rebounds for the No. 8 seed Wildcats in Bridgeport. Jalana Childs added 15 points for Kansas State (20-13), which next faces top seed Connecticut. Niveen Rasheed had 20 points for Princeton (24-5), which lost for the first time in 18 games.

KENTUCKY 68, MCNEESE STATE 62: Keyla Snowden had 11 points and Azia Bishop scored 10 for No. 2 seed Kentucky, which struggled to get past No. 15 McNeese State in Ames, Iowa. The Wildcats (26-6), who won the SEC regular-season championship, turned it over 20 times against McNeese (26-8), which was led by Caitlyn Baggett (22 points) and Martika Hull (20 points and 13 rebounds).

GREEN BAY 71, IOWA STATE 57: Lydia Bauer and Sarah Eichler each scored 16 and seventh seed Green Bay (31-1) beat the host Cyclones in Ames. The Phoenix, which thought it should have been seeded much higher than seventh then had to face Iowa State on its court, set up a meeting with Kentucky. Hallie Christofferson led five players in double figures with 12 points for Iowa State (18-13).

Des Moines Region

TENNESSEE 72, UT MARTIN 49: Meighan Simmons scored 20 as the No. 2 seed Volunteers (25-8) gave coach Pat Summitt a victory over her alma mater in Chicago. Tennessee dominated on the boards 52-39 and shut down the nation's top scoring team, holding the Skyhawks (23-9) to just under 29 percent shooting.

DEPAUL 59, BYU 55: Anna Martin led a balanced attack with 17 points as No. 7 seed and host DePaul (23-10) earned a rematch with Tennessee. The Vols routed DePaul 84-61 on Dec. 11 in New York. BYU (26-7) fought back from a late eight-point deficit and had a chance to tie with 2.8 seconds to play. But Haley Steed's 3-point try missed, DePaul rebounded and Steed fouled Brittany Hrynko, who added a free throw.

Fresno Region

STANFORD 73, HAMPTON 51: Senior star Nnemkadi Ogwumike scored 22 of her 28 in the first half as top seed Stanford (32-1) extended its school-record winning streak to 29 in Norfolk. Alyssa Bennett scored 19 to lead Hampton (26-5), which was playing about 11 miles from its campus.

PURDUE 83, S. DAKOTA ST. 68: Courtney Moses set a women's NCAA Tournament record with nine 3-pointers and tied her career high with 29 points to lead the No. 4 seed and host Boilermakers (25-8). Jill Young had 19 points and Jennie Sunnarborg scored 17 for South Dakota State (24-9). Utah's Julie Krommenhoek (1998 vs. Louisville) and Boise State's Nadia Begay (2007 vs. George Washington) hit eight 3-pointers in an NCAA Tournament game.

South Carolina 80, E. Michigan 48: The No. 5 seed Gamecocks (24-9), the nation's fourth-best defensive team, shot 53.3 percent and produced its highest point total of the season in West Lafayette, Ind. Tavelyn James, the nation's second-leading scorer, was held to 11 points, 13 below her average, for the Eagles (23-9), who had their lowest point total of the season.

WEST VIRGINIA 68, TEXAS 55: Sophomore Taylor Palmer had 13 of her 18 points in the second half, including a huge 3-pointer with 3:39 to play, as No. 8 seed West Virginia (24-9) hung on after squandering most of a 15-point lead in Norfolk, Va. Her fourth 3-pointer ended a 5-minute span without a basket which allowed the Longhorns (18-14) to get within 54-51.

Raleigh Region

TEXAS A&M 69, ALBANY 47: Tyra White, who missed the previous three games with a foot injury, had 18 points and seven rebounds to lead the defending champion and host Aggies (23-10) in College Station. Ebone Henry had 14 points and nine rebounds for Albany but Texas A&M, the third seed, denied the Great Danes (23-10) a win in their tournament debut.

ARKANSAS 72, DAYTON 55: Quistelle Williams had 15 points and Keira Peak and Lyndsay Harris scored 14 apiece as the No. 6 seed Razorbacks (24-8) rallied from an early double-digit deficit in College Station. Andrea Hoover scored 16 and Justine Raterman added 14 for the Flyers (23-7), who withered under the Razorbacks' full-court pressure and missed their final 15 shots.

MARYLAND 59, NAVY 44: Alyssa Thomas, the ACC player of the year, had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the No. 2 seed and host Terrapins (29-4) in College Park. Her 12 points in the second half helped Maryland to expand on a 31-23 halftime lead against Navy (18-14), which was led by Jade Geif's 14 points.

LOUISVILLE 67, MICHIGAN ST. 55: Becky Burke scored 14 to lead the Cardinals (23-9), who forced 14 turnovers and pulled away with a 16-2 run late in the first half against the Spartans (20-12). Jeff Walz, a former Maryland assistant and the coach of No. 7 seed Louisville, earned a matchup against his former boss, Terrapins coach Brenda Frese, on Monday.

Times wires
Saturday, March 17, 2012

PORTLAND, Ore. — Will Sheehey had two options when he grabbed the loose ball: back it out and play for the final shot of regulation, or take the open jumper.

Indiana coach Tom Crean wanted the Hoosiers to be aggressive Saturday, and Sheehey was paying attention.

The sophomore forward made a 15-footer from the baseline with 12.7 seconds left after a shot was blocked right to him, and the fourth-seeded Hoosiers beat 12th-seeded VCU 63-61 Saturday to reach the NCAA Tournament's round of 16 for the first time in a decade.

"It's been a constant grind for us ever since the end of last year," Christian Watford said. "We've been working hard and we did a great job with adversity."

Indiana (27-8) trailed by as much as 57-48 and held VCU to four points the final 12½ minutes. In that span, the Rams missed 13 of 15 shots, including all eight 3-pointers, had five turnovers and were 0-for-2 from the line.

And when Rob Brandenberg's open look at a potential winning 3 rimmed off, the Hoosiers were finally able to celebrate their first trip to the region semifinals since 2002.

Next up is a rematch with top-seeded Kentucky in Atlanta. The Hoosiers' last-second win over the Wildcats back in December announced their return to the national stage.

The trip to the Sweet 16 is another milestone in Crean's rebuilding job from the decimated program he inherited four years ago.

"All college basketball teams work really hard," Crean said. "But these guys have had to come from a long way, a long way, and I'm proud of them."

Watford and Cody Zeller had 16 points each for the Hoosiers. Watford was huge at the end of the first half, scoring the final eight after VCU (29-7) had threatened to run away. Zeller stepped up late with his first field goal since the middle of the first half with 2:55 left.

But IU's scoring leaders became secondary figures in the final seconds.

The first star was Victor Oladipo. After Bradford Burgess missed two free throws that could have given VCU a five-point lead, Oladipo made an aggressive sprint to the basket and converted a tying three-point play with 46.5 seconds left.

When Troy Daniels missed a 3 for VCU, Indiana had a chance at the lead. Instead of calling timeout, Oladipo tried to get to the rim but was blocked by Darius Theus. The loose ball bounced to Sheehey, who hit his only basket of the second half.

"I thought the momentum was on our side. … And I'm comfortable shooting at that range," Sheehey said.

KENTUCKY 87, IOWA ST. 71: Freshman Marquis Teague scored a career-high 24 as the top-seeded Wildcats (34-2) put together another complete performance with a dominating second-half run in Louisville, Ky. Freshman Anthony Davis had 15 points and 12 rebounds and senior Darius Miller added 19 points for Kentucky, which used a 20-2 burst to break away from the Hawkeyes (23-11).

BAYLOR 80, COLORADO 63: Brady Heslip made nine 3-pointers and finished with 27 points to lift the Bears in Albuquerque, N.M. Heslip helped break open a tight game with two 3-pointers that were part of a 14-0 run and gave third-seeded Baylor (29-7) a 75-60 lead. Freshman Askia Booker had 15 points for the 11th-seeded Buffaloes (24-12).

By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, March 17, 2012

TAMPA — Marty St. Louis is a funny guy.

Told of his nomination for the Masterton Trophy, given for perseverance and dedication to the sport, the Lightning wing said, "I definitely dedicated myself. I think about the game quite a bit, sometimes too much. I might as well get an award for it."

Laughter all around.

St. Louis' nomination by the Tampa Bay chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association pits him against 29 other nominees, one for each team. The list is not yet released. Voting is by the writers.

"He exemplifies that," coach Guy Boucher said of the award. "His picture is probably next to the definition in the dictionary."

St. Louis, 36, is one of the NHL's great stories. Undrafted out of the University of Vermont and signed by Tampa Bay as a free agent in July 2000, the 5-foot-7 native of Laval, Quebec, is one of the faces of the league.

He has scored at least 20 goals in nine consecutive seasons and has 321 goals and 842 points in 920 games. He was league MVP in 2003-04, has won two Lady Byng Trophies for sportsmanship and this season has 23 goals and a team-best 41 assists.

"I try to be a factor in every game. That's important to me," St. Louis said. "If I don't feel I'm a factor, I'll probably lose the drive."

As for the nomination, he said, "It's an honor."

And he wasn't kidding.

GOALIE GRAB: The Lightning signed G Sebastien Caron out of Germany. A formal announcement will come Monday after Caron clears waivers.

Caron, 31, played this season for Iserlohn Roosters, going 25-23-0 with a 2.57 goals-against average, a .932 save percentage and five shutouts. In 92 NHL games from 2002-07 — 90 with the Penguins — he is 25-47-7 with a 3.45 goals-against average and .892 save percentage.

For you history buffs, he was the Penguins goalie on Nov. 8, 2003, in Tampa Bay's 9-0 victory and allowed eight goals on 37 shots in 49 minutes.

The fallout of the move: Dustin Tokarski will go back to AHL Norfolk when Caron joins the team.

18 UP: Norfolk tries to make history today at Charlotte as it goes for its 18th straight win which would set the season AHL record and tie the multiseason record.

"It's huge, man," said C Trevor Smith, recalled by the Lightning on Saturday because of the injury to C Nate Thompson. "It's a special time. It's been great fun, and it's still going. It's something you'll never forget. It's pretty special."

MEDICAL MATTERS: Wing Ryan Shannon left the game in the second period with an undisclosed upper-body injury Boucher said might keep him out Monday against the Sabres. … Thompson likely will sit out Monday as well, Boucher said.

ODDS AND ENDS: The Lightning's 11 shorthanded goals allowed after giving up one to the Blues are two behind the league-worst Devils. Its six shorthanded goals allowed at home tied New Jersey for league worst. … When D Brendan Mikkelson scored with 4:11 left in the third, it ended the Blues' shutout streak against Tampa Bay this season at 115 minutes, 49 seconds. … RW Brandon Segal, C Vinny Lecavalier (hand) and D Bruno Gervais also were scratched.

By Rodney Page, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, March 18, 2012

PALM HARBOR — Luke Donald lost his No. 1 world ranking to Rory McIlroy in the first week of March. After a wild final round at the Transitions Championship, which included the first playoff in its 12-year history, Donald returned to the top spot.

He shot bogey-free 5-under 66 on Innisbrook's Copperhead Course on Sunday for a 72-hole total of 13-under 271. Then he waited as others failed to make birdies or bogeyed their way out of contention.

In the playoff with Jim Furyk, Robert Garrigus and Sang-Moon Bae, only Donald birdied the par-4 18th hole. It was Donald's first title of 2012, and he earned $990,000. Last season, he won twice on the PGA Tour and twice on the European Tour.

"My focus … was to try to win, and it's my focus every week," Donald said. "I wasn't really thinking about the world rankings."

Like several others, Donald had a chance to win in regulation with a birdie on the 18th hole. But he settled for par, which tied Garrigus for the lead. Both had to wait to see if anybody in the final four groups could get to 14 under.

First came Ernie Els, who followed his bogey on the 17th hole with a bogey on the 18th by missing a 4-foot putt. Then came Ken Duke, who had to birdie 18 to get to 13 under. His chip fell short.

Both Bae (68) and Furyk (69) had birdie chances to win the tournament but missed. That set up the tour's first four-man playoff since 2007.

Ironically, the only player to miss the 18th fairway was Donald. But he dropped his second shot from 159 yards to about 7 feet, closest to the pin. Furyk, Bae and Garrigus missed their third shots before Donald drained his for the championship.

"I didn't watch any of the other guys (putt)," Donald said. "I looked at the putt and knew it was pretty much left edge, and I stuck with that. When (Garrigus) missed, I knew I had a golden opportunity. I thought to myself, 'You've been ranked No. 1 in putting the last three years. Just hit it in.' "

Garrigus had the best chance in the playoff after he bombed his tee shot and hit a wedge to 8 feet. But his putt missed left.

"I had a great day," said Garrigus, who began the day five off the lead then shot 64. "If you would have told me I'd be in a playoff when I woke up, I would have told you you were crazy. I had a lot of fun. I hit three perfect shots in the playoff, but it just didn't go in the hole."

Furyk, the third-round co-leader, looked like he was in for a good day after he eagled the par-5 first hole from the sand to go to 13 under. But he leveled off and did not make a big move. He got to 14 under with a birdie at No. 11, but a three-putt bogey at No. 13 brought him back to the pack.

"It's disappointing to get this close," Furyk said. "I had every opportunity like everyone else to get to 14 under, and I didn't do it. I'm disappointed in myself for that, but I do take a lot of confidence from this."

Donald will take the next two weeks off before playing in the Masters. His steady play Sunday is sure to give him confidence. He didn't pick up his first birdie until the par-5 fifth hole. After another birdie on the sixth, Donald birdied the ninth, 10th and 11th holes to get to 13 under. He ended his round with seven pars before the playoff birdie.

Donald held the No. 1 world ranking for almost nine months. He said he doesn't look at the rankings much but is using it as motivation.

"I think people saw what I did last year and maybe didn't think I could do it again this year," Donald said. "Hopefully, I can prove them wrong."

Shot of the day

Luke Donald was the only player in the rough on the par-4 18th hole during the four-man playoff. But he hit a 7-iron from 159 yards to about 7 feet, closer than the other three. He then made the birdie putt to win the tournament.

By Tim Whitfield, Times Correspondent
Sunday, March 18, 2012

What's hot: Reds, trout, snook, mackerel, kingfish, tarpon. You name it, it's happening right now. The last couple of weeks snook hit scaled sardines during the incoming tide. Heavy chumming helps locate the fish. Trout have been on the large side, making up for the not-so-stellar bite around the Gandy area. Redfish are chewing from Fort De Soto to the upper reaches of Tampa Bay. Cut bait and live whitebait fished in the mullet schools are scoring fish in the mid to overslot range. Use a cork above the live whitebait to keep them out of the grass when fishing in the shallow water with the mullet. While fishing the south shore of Tampa Bay with artificial baits we caught more than 20 redfish in the low- to midslot range, with only one overslot fish. Gold spoons are a great choice for locating reds.

Other targets: Kingfish and Spanish mackerel are appearing off the beaches from Clearwater south to Anna Maria. Just locate the bait schools and the predatory fish are not far behind. Tarpon appear to be arriving. I recently spotted tarpon at the dock while waiting for clients, hanging out on the edges of the flats.

Tim Whitfield can be reached at (813) 714-0889 or tim@swiftfishcharters.com.

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, March 18, 2012

Shift-beater, Part I

The Red Sox put a defensive shift on against lefty-swinging DH Luke Scott in the first inning, loading up the right side. So Scott dropped a bunt down the third-base line, reaching first base with ease. With the Rays playing Boston 18 times during the season, Scott felt it was a good idea to put that thought in their mind. "If it's there, you take it," manager Joe Maddon said.

Shift-beater, Part II

With Scott up again in the fifth and OF Matt Joyce on second, the Red Sox did a modified shift, with their third baseman in the shortstop area. So Joyce jogged to third, picking up his first steal of the spring.

Announcement of the day

In the top of the third, there was a smaller Ray tossing in the bullpen. Then came the announcement in the press box, "Warming up in the Rays bullpen, No. 46½, Clayton Boroski," son of bullpen coach Stan Boroski.

The dish

Today: Off

On deck:

Tuesday: at Marlins, 1:05. Rays — Wade Davis, Marquis Fleming, Jhonny Nunez, Ryan Reid. Marlins — TBD

Wednesday: vs. Yankees, 1:05. Rays — Kyle Farnsworth. Yankees — Phil Hughes, relievers TBD

Thursday: at Pirates, 1:05. Rays — TBD. Pirates — TBD

Heads-up

RHP Jeremy Hellickson is scheduled to throw in a minor-league game today in Port Charlotte.

Upcoming schedule

All games 1:05 unless noted

March

23: Jays (7:05)

24: at Twins (3:05)

25: Marlins

26: at Twins

27: at Red Sox (1:35)

28: Pirates (7:05)

29: at Phillies

30: at Pirates

31: Red Sox

April

1: at Orioles

2: Twins*

3: at Twins

4: vs. Future Rays, 1:40, at Trop

* Value game, $2 off

Who is this Ray?

He's a reliever who, after being designated for assignment by the Yankees after last spring training, played for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan and was teammates with former Ray Akinori Iwamura. Who is this answer: RHP Romulo Sanchez

Joe Smith, Times staff writer

Support of the day

RHP James Shields took a spin on the golf cart to the backfields Sunday morning to watch LHP David Price throw in a minor-league game. Price appreciated the support but pointed out he made the trip to Tampa to watch Shields and teammates against the Yankees earlier this spring. "I go to Tampa, he goes to the backfield," Price said, smiling. "It's cool."

Number of the day

7,826 Attendance Sunday, eight shy of a Rays spring training record.

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, March 18, 2012

PORT CHARLOTTE — The Rays made their next wave of cuts Sunday, with former top pick SS Tim Beckham and C Stephen Vogt among the group sent to minor-league camp.

RHPs Matt Bush and Dane De La Rosa and OF Brandon Guyer were also optioned to the minors.

Manager Joe Maddon was impressed with Beckham, the 2008 top pick, saying he's playing "major-league caliber" defense, has "major-league makeup" and just has to work on his game plan at the plate. Beckham, likely to start at Triple-A Durham, will play some second base as well, which Maddon said could help get him to the big leagues sooner.

"I feel close hitting, I feel close at short, I feel close everywhere," said Beckham, 22.

Vogt hit .323 this spring and had emerged as a dark horse for the second catcher spot, with Maddon especially liking his left-handed bat. Though disappointed, he knew he needed more time behind the plate.

"I've been telling myself since I was little, all I need is somebody to give me a chance," Vogt said. "If that's this year, next year or three years from now, hopefully it'll be that case."

Bush, 26, the 2004 top pick as a shortstop, gave up three hits in 42/3 innings and could impact the bullpen this season.

OFF THE MARK: LHP Matt Moore wasn't nearly as sharp as in his dazzling spring debut, struggling with command in his start against the Red Sox.

Moore was charged with four runs on three hits, including two homers, in 21/3 innings (52 pitches). Moore felt good physically, but he fell behind too many hitters and was unable to locate his fastball and changeup as he wanted. Maddon liked Moore's curveball and said some struggles aren't a surprise at this point in spring.

"You don't go through any season or any kind of league perfect," Moore said. "Was I expecting this? Absolutely not. But it's something I need to pay attention to."

PRICE CHECK: LHP David Price felt good in his start in a minor-league intrasquad game Sunday morning, allowing three runs on six hits over 41/3 innings, getting up to 65 pitches. He struck out three and walked one, working on his changeup.

"Every outing, I feel like my arm and my body continues to get better," Price said. "I feel like I'm where I need to be right now. I feel strong."

SS Reid Brignac went 1-for-5 with a single and strikeout in the same game.

UPTON UPDATE: CF B.J. Upton said he's feeling better and still hopes to play Tuesday, though it'd likely be in a minor-league game as he's not on the travel squad for Jupiter. Upton, who hasn't played since Wednesday's collision with LF Desmond Jennings, took some swings Saturday and Sunday and still is dealing with stiffness in his lower back.

"It's tolerable," Upton said. "It's probably not up to game speed right now."

GAME DETAILS: 3B Evan Longoria picked up his first two hits of the spring, including a solo homer in the second inning of an 8-4 loss to the Red Sox. … RHP Kyle Farnsworth threw a scoreless inning.

MISCELLANY: DH Luke Scott made back-to-back starts for the first time, going 1-for-4 and feeling fine. … Maddon said "guys are starting to separate themselves" in the competition for starting shortstop and second catcher. … UTL Jeff Keppinger made his first spring appearance at shortstop and did well, other than dropping a liner in the third. … A squad of Rays minor-leaguers beat the Netherlands 7-5 at Al Lang.

Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@tampabay.com.