IN BRIEF

CYCLING

Armstrong's team third in first stage of Giro

Lance Armstrong was satisfied with the start of his first major race since winning his seventh consecutive Tour de France in 2005.

Armstrong's Astana squad finished third in the team time trial Saturday in Venice, Italy, to start the Giro d'Italia -- cycling's most important race after the Tour. Only two American-owned teams -- Columbia-High Road and Garmin-Slipstream -- were faster.

British sprinter Mark Cavendish crossed the line first for Columbia and took the leader's pink jersey in the race that ends May 31 in Rome.

Columbia covered the 12.7-mile route along the Lido beach front in 21 minutes, 50 seconds. Garmin was six seconds back, and Astana was 13 seconds behind.

Armstrong, riding in his first Giro, crossed the line first for Astana and is 15th in the overall standings.

LOCAL COLLEGES

UNLV women's tennis falls in NCAA opener

The UNLV women's tennis team had its season end in the first round of the NCAA Championships, losing to No. 30 Arizona State 4-0 in Los Angeles.

UNLV, ranked 44th, dropped two matches to lose the doubles point, and the Sun Devils posted three quick singles wins to build an insurmountable lead, so the remaining matches were halted.

That prevented Kristina Nedeltcheva from potentially earning a big upset at No. 1 singles for the Rebels. Nedeltcheva, ranked 123rd, was serving and led 10th-ranked Kelcy McKenna 6-4, 5-3 when play was stopped.

Also: The UNLV women's golf team posted its best score on the final day of NCAA regional play in Tempe, Ariz., but still finished 16th as its season ended.

The Rebels, coming off a 25-over-par 313 in the second round, shot 5-over 293, the sixth-best mark of the day in the 21-team field. UNLV, needing a top-eight effort to reach the NCAA Championships, posted a 41-over 905 total.

Host Arizona State won the regional at 22-under 842, 19 shots clear of second-place Southern California. ASU's Carlota Ciganda won the individual title at 10-under 206.

Therese Koelbaek led UNLV, tying for 55th at 9-over 225.

The UNLV baseball team rallied in the ninth inning but came up short in a 14-13 loss to Brigham Young in a Mountain West Conference game in Provo, Utah.

The Rebels (25-27, 9-12 MWC) scored five runs -- all with two outs -- in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 13. Kyle Kretchmer paced the comeback with a three-run double.

But the Cougars (27-21, 14-8) won on Kent Walton's two-out RBI single in the bottom of the inning.

The UNLV softball team lost to host San Diego State 7-1 in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Marissa Nichols' RBI single in the sixth plated the only run for the Rebels (31-19, 7-8 MWC).

Western Nevada defeated Southern Idaho 18-3 to capture the NJCAA Region 18 baseball tournament in Carson City. Both teams advance to the district tournament in Carson City beginning Thursday.

The College of Southern Nevada placed four players on the all-region first team: first baseman Marvin Campbell, second baseman Scott Dysinger, and pitchers Joe Robinson and Gabe Weidenaar.

The CSN softball team lost to Southern Idaho 6-4 in the NJCAA Region 18 tournament in Salt Lake City, ending its season with a 34-25 record.

Berlynn Bagley had a two-run homer for the Coyotes, and Allison Barr was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

MISCELLANEOUS

Durango's Magdaleno wins Golden Gloves title

Durango High School junior Jesus Magdaleno won the National Golden Gloves 119-pound title in Salt Lake City, beating Colorado's John Franklin by unanimous decision.

Magdaleno forced Franklin to two standing-8 counts in the third round en route to winning on all five judges' cards.

Also: Lindsey Wright shot 7-under 64, and Cristie Kerr had a 66 to share the third-round lead as Lorena Ochoa faltered in the LPGA Tour's Michelob Ultra Open in Williamsburg, Va. They are at 15-under 198.

The top-ranked Ochoa shot 74, with only two birdies. Wright came within one shot of the tournament record, and Kerr closed with three birdies on the last four holes.

Daniel Vancsik of Argentina shot 2-under 69 despite two late bogeys for an 11-under 202 total, one shot ahead of Finland's Roope Kakko through three rounds of the Italian Open in Turin, Italy. John Daly fired a third straight 69 and was tied for 11th in his second tournament since a four-month break.

Top-ranked Dinara Safina won her first title of the year by defeating fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the Italian Open in Rome.

Safina avenged a loss to Kuznetsova in the final of the Porsche Grand Prix last weekend. She also lost two other finals this year, including the Australian Open.

Jordan DuFault had 14 kills, including the final one in the fifth set, and UC Irvine won its second men's NCAA volleyball title in three years, beating Southern California 3-2 in Provo, Utah.

Georgia suspended two football players, including tight end Bruce Figgins for six games, for violating team rules.

Figgins, a junior, started two games last season. Sophomore defensive end Justin Houston was suspended for two games.

Coach Mark Richt did not reveal the infractions.

Former Southern Methodist men's basketball coach Jimmy Tubbs, fired after two seasons in 2006 when an internal investigation revealed NCAA violations, has died. He was 60.

SMU spokesman Brad Sutton said Tubbs died Saturday. No cause of death was given.