IN BRIEF

HOCKEY

Minnesota center Walz announces retirement

Minnesota Wild center Wes Walz announced his retirement as expected Saturday, ending his 13-year NHL career as the team's all-time leader in games played.

Walz had one goal and three assists in 11 games this season before leaving the team to contemplate his future.

Neither he nor the Wild offered any specifics about his leave of absence, which lasted a month. But Walz, 37, said at a news conference Saturday that he didn't feel like he was "on top of his game."

"The way I've been playing -- it's really just taken its toll on me, and it's really worn me down," he said.

Walz finished his NHL career -- which included time with Boston, Philadelphia, Calgary and Detroit -- with 109 goals and 151 assists in 607 games.

GOLF

Immelman, Rose still tied for Nedbank lead

Trevor Immelman and Justin Rose shot 5-under-par 67s to share the third-round lead in the Nedbank Challenge in Sun City, South Africa.

The two players had seven birdies and two bogeys to reach 16-under 200 on the Gary Player Country Club. Three-time champion Ernie Els (69) was third at 11 under, four strokes ahead of Henrik Stenson (72).

Immelman and Rose will play together for the second straight day today.

Also: Frank Lickliter II shot par 72 at Orange County National to take a three-stroke lead after the fourth of six rounds in the PGA Tour National Qualifying Tournament in Winter Garden, Fla.

The top 25 finishers and ties will get 2008 PGA Tour cards, and the next number of players nearest 50 will get full Nationwide Tour exemptions.

Lickliter, 38, a two-time winner on the tour, had a 24-under 264 total. He played the Crooked Cat course in the fourth round.

Jason Allred was second after a 70, also at Crooked Cat.

Three-time majors champion Larry Nelson enjoyed the rare occasion of being a spectator in the Del Webb Father-Son Challenge in Orlando, Fla., watching his 29-year-old son make two eagles on the final three holes for a 12-under 60.

Larry and Josh Nelson had a one-shot lead in the scramble format over David Duval and his stepson, Deano Karavites.

MISCELLANEOUS

Lady Rebels go cold in loss to New Orleans

One day after upsetting the 16th-ranked team in the country, the UNLV women's basketball squad fell to host New Orleans 63-50 in the Lady Privateers Invitational.

Unlike in the second half of their 62-61 victory over George Washington on Friday in which they shot 60 percent to overcome a 24-point halftime deficit, the Lady Rebels (2-5) managed only 29 percent second-half shooting against New Orleans (5-3), which led 30-25 at halftime.

Sequoia Holmes paced UNLV with 23 points and five steals.

Also: Ryan Lochte set his second American record in three days, winning the 200-yard backstroke for his fourth victory at the U.S. short course national championships in Atlanta.

Natalie Coughlin went 3-for-4 in the three-day meet, adding the 100 freestyle title in a time that erased her American record.

Michael Phelps won the 100 free for his second individual victory and anchored his Club Wolverine team to a second-place finish in the 400 free relay at the meet that was staged in yards instead of the usual Olympic meters.

The UNLV women's swimming team finished seventh and the men placed 10th in the three-day Texas Invitational at Austin.

Freshman Keir Maitland had the top UNLV finish, placing third in the men's 1,650-yard freestyle in 15 minutes, 4.71 seconds.

Kim Bonney paced the women's team, taking sixth in the 200 breaststroke in 2:16.59.