IN BRIEF

PRO BASKETBALL

Williams announces retirement from NBA

Jason Williams announced his retirement Friday, ending his 10-year NBA career less than two months after signing with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Williams, 32, who helped the Miami Heat to the NBA title in 2006, averaged 11.4 points, 6.3 assists and shot 39.6 percent from the floor in 679 career games.

Also: Gilbert Arenas and the Washington Wizards were fined $15,000 each by the NBA after Arenas ducked out of the team's annual preseason media day, avoiding any discussion of his third left knee operation in 11/2 years.

Arenas was penalized "for failing to make himself available to the media," the league said, and Washington was docked "for failing to ensure that its players comply with NBA media interview rules."

Jamaal Tinsley will remain on the Pacers' roster while the team tries to trade him, but the guard won't practice with Indiana when it opens training camp Tuesday.

The team will not buy out Tinsley's contract, Pacers president Larry Bird said.

Houston Rockets forward Shane Battier will be sidelined up to four weeks and miss most of the preseason because of inflammation in his left foot.

Battier had surgery May 9 to remove bone spurs from his left ankle, and the team said the foot inflammation occurred during rehabilitation.

Janel McCarville scored 17 points, and Shameka Christon had 11 points and 11 rebounds to help the New York Liberty hold off the Detroit Shock 60-56 in the opener of the best-of-3 WNBA Eastern Conference finals in New York.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

UConn beats Louisville on late interception TD

Lawrence Wilson returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown with less than three minutes to play to give Connecticut a 26-21 victory over Louisville in the Big East Conference opener for both teams in Louisville, Ky.

Donald Brown ran for 190 yards and a touchdown for the Huskies (5-0), who rode the legs of the nation's leading rusher to stay in the game after starting quarterback Tyler Lorenzen was sidelined by a foot injury.

Louisville (2-2) piled up 508 yards of offense but squandered opportunities to put the game away.

Also: New Mexico has asked the NCAA to reconsider the number of scholarship cuts it handed down for three cases of academic fraud.

The NCAA in August put the program on three years' probation and cut five scholarships as punishment for academic violations involving two former assistant coaches.

CYCLING

Contador might quit over Armstrong deal

Alberto Contador says he has earned the right to be the top rider for Astana, and he might quit the squad if he's displaced as team leader by Lance Armstrong.

Armstrong announced Wednesday he was joining Astana, reuniting him with his friend Johan Bruyneel after three years in retirement. Now Astana's team director, Bruyneel coached Armstrong during his seven Tour de France victories.

"I spoke with Johan about the Tour next year, and he said there is no problem and that I will be the leader," Contador told The Associated Press. "But Lance Armstrong is a champion, and I think he will want to race to win. I am sure that he also wants to be the leader of the team."

Also: Cycling's international governing body lifted its suspension of the French federation following an agreement with Tour de France organizers over control of the sport.

The UCI also said it would end disciplinary measures against three other leading French officials after Thursday's agreement with the group that owns the Tour.

MISCELLANEOUS

Nedved's comeback bid ends with Rangers

Petr Nedved's bid to come back to the NHL after a year playing in Europe ended when the New York Rangers released the 36-year-old forward from his tryout.

Nedved tied for the team lead with two goals and three points in three preseason games this week, but was let go one day before the Rangers were to face New Jersey in their final exhibition game in North America.

Also: A Kentucky judge has ordered a sealed bid sale of 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin to settle a $42 million judgment against the minority owners.

The ruling comes in a civil suit against Curlin's original owners, attorneys William Gallion and Shirley Cunningham Jr., who are accused of bilking clients out of millions in a $200 million settlement over the diet-drug fen-phen.

UNLV golfer Eddie Olson was tied for sixth place at 3-under par 141 as the 21st-ranked Rebels trailed host New Mexico by five shots after the first two rounds of the William H. Tucker Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M.

The Rebels posted rounds of 277-292 for a 7-under 569, and New Mexico, led by Brandon Putnam's tournament-leading 6-under 138, fronted the 16-team field with a total of 12-under 564.

UNLV's women's tennis team went a combined 7-1 in singles and doubles on the first day of the three-day Fall Invitational at the Fertitta Tennis Complex.

Kristina Nedeltcheva, Katy Williams, Anna Maskaljun and Adrienn Hidvegi each won in straight sets in singles play.