IN BRIEF
BASKETBALL
Injury-troubled Bulls sign veteran Hunter
The injury-depleted Chicago Bulls on Thursday signed veteran point guard Lindsey Hunter.
With the Bulls' backcourt thinned by injuries, the 37-year-old Hunter brings 15 years of experience to the team. He played 24 games for Detroit last season.
Guard Kirk Hinrich could be out for three months after thumb surgery, and Larry Hughes hasn't played this season because of a preseason shoulder injury.
Also: The NBA fined Sacramento Kings coach Reggie Theus $25,000 for comments he made about the officiating after a loss to Detroit.
The league also penalized the Kings $25,000 for Theus' actions.
Theus said it was "ridiculous" that the Pistons took 36 foul shots to just 17 for the Kings in Detroit's 100-92 victory in Sacramento on Tuesday.
Darren Collison made two free throws with 21 seconds remaining as No. 4 UCLA survived a defensive struggle to beat Miami of Ohio 64-59 in the 2K Sports Classic in Los Angeles.
The Bruins (2-0) advanced to next week's semifinals against Michigan at New York's Madison Square Garden. No. 8 Duke meets Southern Illinois in the other game.
Seniors Collison and Josh Shipp both scored 16 points to help UCLA earn its 30th consecutive home victory over a nonconference opponent.
GOLF
Ochoa struggles, trails in her own tournament
Lorena Ochoa struggled in the first round in her own Lorena Ochoa Invitational, shooting a 1-over-par 73, on her home course in Guadalajara, Mexico, to drop five strokes behind Annika Sorenstam and the other leaders.
LPGA Championship winner Yani Tseng, No. 2 in the world behind Ochoa and ahead of Sorenstam, topped the leaderboard at 68 along with Sorenstam, Angela Stanford, Karen Stupples, Seon Hwa Lee, Nicole Castrale, Hee-Won Han and Brittany Lang.
Also: Lam Chih Bing upstaged the big names -- Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els, to name two -- to take a first-round lead at the Singapore Open in a bid to become the first local player to win the tournament.
Lam birdied three of the final four holes to finish with a 4-under 67 and the clubhouse lead over Australia's Marcus Both (68) in an opening round delayed by lightning. Play was halted because of darkness with half of the field unable to finish the opening round.
All four rounds of the British Open will air live on ESPN starting in 2010.
ESPN and the tournament's organizer, Royal & Ancient Golf, agreed to an eight-year contract, they announced.
Brady Exber shot a 6-under 66 to take the first-round lead in the Clark County Senior Amateur at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City.
Tom Hyland had a hole-in-one on the par-3 168-yard No. 8 hole as part of a 7-under 29 on the front side. Hyland finished with a 3-under 69 and is in second place in the 52-player field.
The tournament concludes today.
MOTOR SPORTS
Castroneves' lawyers seeking delay of trial
Race car driver Helio Castroneves' attorneys and employer asked a Miami judge to delay his March trial on tax evasion charges until next November so he can continue racing, according to court documents.
Penske Racing, Inc. said if the trial is held between March and October, the team will have to change drivers now to avoid the risk that Castroneves will be unavailable for the 2009 IndyCar series, which runs from April to October.
Penske attorneys said Castroneves is under contract with the team for 2009 and must be available exclusively for all races.
Also: Rookie of the Year favorite Mike Neff took the provisional No. 1 qualifying position in Funny Car for the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif., the sixth and final race in the Countdown to 1 playoffs.
J.R. Todd (Top Fuel), Dave Connolly (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) led their divisions.
MISCELLANEOUS
Holyfield to get shot at another world title
Evander Holyfield is getting another chance at a heavyweight title.
The 46-year-old former champion will challenge 7-foot Russian giant Nikolai Valuev for the WBA crown on Dec. 20 at Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland, arena management said.
Holyfield (42-9-2, 27 knockouts) hasn't fought since losing a one-sided decision to then-WBO champion Sultan Ibragimov more than a year ago. Holyfield is winless in his last four title fights since beating John Ruiz for the vacant WBA belt in October 2000.
The 330-pound Valuev (49-1, 34 KOs) -- once referred to as the "Beast from the East" but now preferring "The Russian Giant" -- won a unanimous decision over Ruiz in August to claim the vacant WBA crown.
Also: Sakio Bika captured the vacant International Boxing Organization super middleweight title, stopping Peter Manfredo Jr. in the third round of a scheduled 12-rounder in Providence, R.I.
A Peoria Chiefs minor league pitcher accused of throwing a ball that hit a fan in the head during a bench-clearing brawl has pleaded not guilty.
An attorney for 21-year-old Julio Castillo submitted the written plea in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court in Dayton, Ohio.
Castillo was indicted last month on two counts of felonious assault.
Laurel Park isolated a barn after a 2-year old filly tested positive for equine herpesvirus.
Nin, trained by King Leatherbury, was sitting up and eating with no fever. She could not stand Wednesday.
A hold order was placed on Barn 1 at the central Maryland track. None of the 29 horses in the barn will be permitted to train or race, pending further testing.
Former coach Denis Savard is back with the Chicago Blackhawks.
A Hockey Hall of Fame player and one of the franchise's most popular figures, Savard returned to the organization as a team ambassador after being fired as coach last month.
The Minnesota Wild activated right wing Owen Nolan from injured reserve.
Nolan missed eight of the last 11 games with a leg injury. He has one goal and three assists in five games this season.
The Washington Capitals signed 2008 first-round draft pick John Carlson to a three-year, entry-level contract.
The 18-year-old Carlson was the 27th overall pick.
Landon Donovan might get his wish to play in Europe again, and it could be with Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich.
Donovan has been practicing with the German team since Tuesday, the day he was voted U.S. player of the year for a record fifth time. The 26-year-old forward led the MLS this year with 20 goals for the Los Angeles Galaxy, playing alongside David Beckham.
Donovan had two unsuccessful stints with another Bundesliga team, Bayer Leverkusen, from 2001 to 2005.
Los Angeles Galaxy defender Sean Franklin was selected Major League Soccer rookie of the year.
The 23-year-old from Palmdale, Calif., started 26 games for the Galaxy and played 2,385 minutes, second highest on the club.
Sara Nehf had 17 kills and 10 digs as the UNLV volleyball team beat Wyoming 26-24, 20-26, 25-20, 24-26, 11-15 in a Mountain West Conference match in Laramie, Wyo.
The Rebels improved to 15-12 overall and 8-6 in league play.
