IN BRIEF

UNLV

Rebels eliminated from MWC baseball tourney

The UNLV baseball team's season came to an end Thursday with a 7-4 loss to Utah at the Mountain West Conference Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Rebels (22-37) trailed 3-2 after 61/2 innings, but the Utes (26-27) scored three runs in the seventh and one in the eighth to secure the victory.

Utah, seeded fifth, will play top-seeded Texas Christian in an elimination game today. The winner will face No. 2 seed New Mexico, which beat TCU 3-2 Thursday, in the championship game tonight.

Also: The UNLV women's golf team shot 16-over 304 in the third round of the NCAA Championships despite rough weather in Albuquerque, N.M.

Lightning delayed the round, and the top six teams on the leaderboard did not finish play, but the Rebels moved up to 16th place at 51-over 915 entering the final round.

Southern California and UCLA were tied for first at 16 over, and Azahara Munoz of Arizona State had the individual lead at 2-under 214.

Rebels freshman Therese Koelbaek was tied for 27th at 9-under 225 after shooting 2-over 74 Thursday.

The UNLV tennis doubles team of senior Elena Gantcheva and sophomore Kristina Nedeltcheva was defeated 6-3, 6-2 by California's Susie Babos and Stephanie Kusano in the first round at the NCAA Championships in Tulsa, Okla.

Gantcheva and Nedeltcheva finished the season 23-10.

Gantcheva, a three-time MWC Player of the Year, finished second all time at UNLV with 79 doubles wins.

HOCKEY

Granato to get second chance with Avalanche

Tony Granato returned as coach of the Colorado Avalanche four years after he was demoted from the job.

Granato will take over from Joel Quenneville, who parted ways with the team two weeks ago by mutual agreement.

Granato was 72-33-17-11 when he led the team from 2002 to 2004. He has been an Avs assistant since July 2004.

Also: Vancouver Canucks coach Alain Vigneault agreed to a contract extension through the 2009-10 season.

MISCELLANEOUS

Paul Hamm injured at U.S. gymnastics meet

Paul Hamm's stay at the top of the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Houston might be a short one.

The reigning Olympic champion said he might not compete Saturday after injuring his first hand during his parallel bars routine. He will have X-rays today.

Even with the injury, Hamm still had a big lead. His score of 93.450 was more than three points ahead of Joseph Hagerty, who had 89.750.

Hamm is still considered the only lock to make the team -- even if he's not at the Olympic Trials.

Also: Three-time Olympian Blaine Wilson's comeback ended after two events when he withdrew from the U.S. Gymnastics Championships.

Wilson won the all-around national title five straight years from 1996 to 2000.

New Orleans Saints defensive end Charles Grant posted $10,000 bond in Blakely, Ga., after his indictment on an involuntary manslaughter charge stemming from a Feb. 3 nightclub fight in which a woman died.

Former USC basketball star O.J. Mayo has been dropped by his agent ahead of the June 26 NBA Draft because of the "overwhelming intensity" of allegations that Mayo illegally received cash and gifts.

UNR women's basketball coach Kim Gervasoni announced her resignation, citing undisclosed personal reasons. She was 59-92 in five years coaching the Wolf Pack.

Mandalay Bay sports book director Jay Rood has been named to replace Robert Walker as MGM Mirage sports book director.

Walker announced his resignation last week and plans to leave his job June 22.

Tuff-N-Uff will host its second amateur mixed martial arts card at 7 p.m. today at the Tropicana. The card will feature 15 bouts.