In Brief

PRO BASKETBALL

Players start to show first signs
of cracking in NBA stalemate

JaVale McGee only acknowledged the inevitable Friday when the Washington Wizards center said a few NBA players are "ready to fold" in their contentious labor negotiations with the league.

McGee and union president Derek Fisher both believe far more players are sticking together and staying strong as they head into a crucial week for the league's future.

And whatever commissioner David Stern's gut is telling him about next week's meeting with a federal mediator, Fisher remains confident they can make a deal to save the season.

"My gut tells me that there's no way commissioner Stern and the NBA would damage their business by making us miss a whole season," Fisher said Friday after a union meeting at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.

While Stern made another round of radio interviews postulating doom if a deal isn't reached quickly, Fisher and union executive director Billy Hunter briefed a group of roughly 30 players on the state of negotiations.

McGee left the meeting early, but made the biggest headlines at the valet stand when he described frank conversations among the players.

"There's definitely some guys in there saying that they're ready to fold, but ... the majority of guys are willing to stand strong," McGee said.

In a tweet, McGee later denied he said the words recorded by more than a dozen reporters. Fisher and the players who didn't leave early laughed off the brouhaha.

"The person that spent the least amount of time in the room has no ability to make that statement," Fisher said.

GOLF

Simpson trails leader Horschel
by two shots at McGladrey

Webb Simpson kept his name near the top of the leaderboard at Sea Island and his eyes on a showdown with Luke Donald next week at Disney.

Simpson, in a chase to try to win the PGA Tour money title, made a pair of late birdies for a 3-under 67 at the McGladrey Classic in St. Simons Island, Ga. That left him two shots behind Billy Horschel, who picked up four shots over his last four holes for a 64.

After finishing his second round, Simpson said he would play the PGA Tour's final tournament next week at Disney in his bid to capture the money title. Donald, currently atop the money list by $68,971 over Simpson, had said earlier in the day that he would add Disney to his schedule.

After opening with a 63 and facing stronger wind off the coastal waters, Simpson survived a shaky start and poured in enough birdies to get into the lead with Michael Thompson, who had a 64 earlier in the day. They stayed there until Horschel made his late burst with an eagle-birdie-par-birdie finish to take the lead at 12-under 130.

Also: Fred Couples shot a 7-under 65 to share the first-round lead with Steve Lowery at the AT&T Championship in San Antonio.

Lowery settled for a birdie at the 190-yard 13th after his 6-iron lipped out, then holed out from the fairway from 168 yards with an 8-iron for an eagle on the next hole.

Americans Stacy Lewis and Brittany Lang shared the lead after the second round of the LPGA Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.

Lewis shot a 6-under 65 and Lang finished with a 67 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.

Lewis dropped two strokes at the par-4 ninth, but made eight birdies for a 9-under 133 total.

Simon Khan of England shot a 6-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Portugal Masters in Vilamoura.

Khan opened with three birdies in the first four holes at the Oceanico Victoria course. He also birdied the last two to finish at 13-under 131.

The 39-year-old Englishman leads Rhys Davies (67), Felipe Aguilar (66) and first-round leader James Kingston (68).

UNLV

Harrison's two goals, assist
power women's soccer team

Macy Jo Harrison had two goals and an assist as the UNLV women's soccer team won its fourth straight match at Peter Johann Memorial Field with a 5-0 Mountain West Conference victory over Boise State.

Harrison's first two goals of the season came in a four-minute span midway through the second half and gave the Rebels (6-8-2, 2-1 MWC) a 4-0 lead. Her first assist of the season came in the first half on a goal by Caitlin Allen.

Denali Murnan and Katherine Orellana also scored for UNLV.

The UNLV men's soccer team was outshot 17-10 and fell to Air Force 4-0 in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match at Peter Johann Memorial Field.

The Rebels (2-9, 1-3 MPSF) managed just one shot in the first half in falling behind 2-0.

UNLV women's tennis players Lucia Batta and Aleskandra Josifoska advanced in both singles and doubles play on the third day of the USTA/ITA Mountain Regional at Fertitta Tennis Complex.

Batta and Josifoska won twice each to reach today's singles semifinals, and teamed to win one doubles match to advance to today's quarterfinals.

The event's finals are on Sunday.

MISCELLANEOUS

Wranglers fall to defending
champion Aces in ECHL opener

The defending ECHL champion Alaska Aces beat the Wranglers 2-1 in a shootout in Anchorage.

The Wranglers, playing in their eighth season in the ECHL, had forged a 1-all tie in the second period on winger Scott Campbell's goal at 15:13.

The Aces had jumped out to a 1-0 lead at 17:58 of the first period on a goal by Chris Bruton.

Also: Ryan Villopoto has won Supercross and motocross titles a year after suffering a horrific injury.

Now he's hoping to cap off his big season in a big way with a $1 million payout.

The Monster Energy Cup tonight at 7 o'clock at Sam Boyd Stadium will be a one-of-a-kind race on a course that includes elements of Supercross and motocross.

The track, designed by dirt-bike stars Jeremy McGrath and Ricky Carmichael, will wind inside and outside the stadium, with one section climbing up the stands in the end zone.

There will be three motos on the night and anyone who can take the checkers in all of them will take home the richest payout in the sport: $1 million.

Bernard Hopkins defied serious odds 23 years ago when he left Pennsylvania's Graterford State Penitentiary and never went back. Since then, he has thwarted all conventional wisdom about athletes and aging with a thriving boxing career into the back side of his 40s.

If Hopkins can figure out a way to beat Chad Dawson, the "Executioner" has topped himself one more time.

The 46-year-old Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 knockouts) realizes the enormity of the task he accepted at Staples Center in Los Angeles tonight. He has spent a half-decade warily circling Dawson (30-1, 17 KOs), the former light heavyweight champion who ranks among the most gifted fighters of his generation -- and is 17 years younger than the seemingly ageless Hopkins.

Dawson sees the fight as nothing less than the defining moment of his career.

Japan's Kohei Uchimura ran away with the all-around gold, becoming the first man to win three titles at the world gymnastics championships in Tokyo.

Uchimora finished more than three points ahead of Germany's Philipp Boy, his largest margin of victory yet, and had the highest scores on four of the six events.

Uchimura finished with 93.631 points. Boy won the silver for a second straight year, and Koji Yamamuro, Uchimura's training partner, won the bronze medal.

John Orozco was the top American, rallying to finish fifth after a series of form errors on his first three events.

David Ferrer beat American Andy Roddick 6-7 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (2), while Britain's Andy Murray eased into the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters with a 6-3, 6-2 win over qualifier Matthew Ebden of Australia.

Felicano Lopez beat Florian Mayer of Germany 6-2, 6-4 in just over an hour to set up an all-Spanish semifinal clash with Ferrer.

Murray will face Kei Nishikori of Japan, who advanced with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Alexandr Dolgopolov of Russia.

Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova eased past Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia 6-2, 6-2 to reach her seventh semifinal of the season at the Generali Ladies in Linz, Austria.

The top-seeded Kvitova will play Jelena Jankovic for a place in Sunday's final. The third-seeded Serb defeated Russian qualifier Evgeniya Rodina, 6-2, 6-4.