In Brief

GOLF

Bubba Watson conquers wind, leads by one in PGA Tour event

Bubba Watson shot a 4-under-par 68 in shifting wind conditions Friday to take a one-stroke lead over Josh Teater after the second round of the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic of New Orleans in Avondale, La. Watson was at 10-under 134 at TPC Louisiana.

The long-hitting Watson eagled the par-5 11th -- his second hole -- for the second time, holing a 20-footer to get to 8 under. He added a 4-foot birdie putt on 13 and a 13-footer on 14 but bogeyed the 18th when he hit his third shot over the green from a bunker. He also birdied the seventh with a 3-footer.

Las Vegas resident Dean Wilson matched the course record with a 64 and was three strokes off the lead.

Also: Sandra Gal birdied five of the final eight holes for a second-round 5-under 67 and a one-stroke lead over Amy Yang in the Avnet LPGA Classic in Mobile, Ala., the tour's only event in a six-week stretch. Gal is at 7-under 137.

Brett Rumford shot a 9-under 63 to take a three-stroke lead after two rounds of the Ballantine's Championship in Seoul, South Korea. He is at 10-under 134.

Former major league pitcher John Smoltz struggled in his debut on the Nationwide Tour, shooting a 12-over 84 that left him in last place after the first round of the South Georgia Classic in Valdosta, Ga.

PRO BASKETBALL

Shaq works out again; Celtics think he'll play in Heat series

Boston Celtics center Shaquille O'Neal, still recovering from a right calf injury, took part in a limited workout Friday, a day after he ran through some plays and shot baskets while his teammates practiced in earnest for Sunday's opener of the Eastern Conference semifinals at the Miami Heat.

Coach Doc Rivers said he's more confident than ever that O'Neal will play in the series. "I don't know when," Rivers said. "Maybe (Game) 1, maybe 2."

O'Neal was not available for comment. He played only 37 games in the regular season and just 5 minutes, 29 seconds since Feb. 1.

Also: Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer missed Friday's practice because of turf toe on his right foot, and coach Tom Thibodeau said "it's hard to say" if Boozer will be ready for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. "I'm thinking he will be able to," Thibodeau said.

Star guard Derrick Rose did practice, and Thibodeau said the left ankle Rose sprained in the first round against the Indiana Pacers was fine.

LOCAL COLLEGES

UNLV women stunned by TCU in MWC tennis championships

The No. 1-seeded UNLV women's tennis team was upset by fourth-seeded Texas Christian 4-2 in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference championships at Fort Collins, Colo.

The Rebels (20-5) had their nine-match winning streak snapped in losing to TCU for the second straight year in the semifinals. UNLV, ranked 38th in the nation, could get an at-large berth to the NCAA Championships when the field is announced Tuesday.

The Horned Frogs took a 1-0 lead by winning two of three doubles matches, then clinched the victory with three singles wins. One was against senior Anna Maskaljun, who had won a school-record 20 straight matches.

Nives Pavlovic (No. 3) and Jana Albers (No. 6) got the Rebels' victories.

TCU and second-seeded Utah will meet in today's final.

Also: Junior Tanner Peters pitched his fifth complete game of the season, scattering seven hits and walking one, to spark UNLV to an 8-0 Mountain West baseball victory at Wilson Stadium.

Brandon Bayardi went 2-for-3 with four RBIs for the Rebels (26-18, 5-10 MWC), who snapped a four-game losing streak. Trent Cook extended his hitting streak to 19 games, and Scott Dysinger increased his to 13.

Brigham Young scored six runs in the first inning and went on to a 16-0 five-inning victory over UNLV in Mountain West softball action in Provo, Utah, where temperatures hovered in the low 30s with snow flurries.

The Rebels (22-18, 4-5) got only two hits, and starter Amanda Oliveto lasted one-third of an inning, giving up all six runs in the first.

College of Southern Nevada pitcher Taylor Jones set a school record with 18 strikeouts and allowed only one hit in a 9-1 complete-game victory over Colorado Northwestern in the second game of a Scenic West Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader at Morse Stadium.

In the first game, Cameron Harper hit a two-run, walk-off homer with two out in the seventh inning to give CSN (25-25, 14-20 SWAC) a 6-4 victory. Duncan Satherlie went 4-for-4 for the Coyotes.

The CSN softball team ran its winning streak to six games with 11-3 and 16-12 SWAC victories over Western Nevada at Russell Road Recreation Complex. Katie Uriarte went 7-for-8 and scored five runs in the sweep for the Coyotes (31-25, 24-18).

MISCELLANEOUS

Penguins star Crosby says he'll be OK for start of next season

Sidney Crosby acknowledged he recently had a setback and experienced symptoms during his recovery from a concussion, but the Pittsburgh Penguins star said he isn't worried about missing the start of next season.

Crosby addressed reporters Friday for the first time in weeks, on the day the Penguins packed up and dispersed after being eliminated from the NHL playoffs. He admitted he hasn't been on the ice for noncontact drills or practices for the past two weeks because he had experienced headaches and other symptoms.

Crosby hasn't played since Jan. 5, sitting out the final 48 games, including Pittsburgh's 4-3 series loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round.

Also: The Buffalo Sabres signed coach Lindy Ruff to a multiyear contract extension, keeping the franchise's all-time winningest coach in the fold for another crack at a championship that has eluded the team since its birth in 1970. Ruff coached in his 1,000th career NHL game and 100th career postseason game this season -- all coming with the Sabres.

Dan Bylsma of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Barry Trotz of the Nashville Predators and Alain Vigneault of the Vancouver Canucks are finalists for the Jack Adams Award given to the NHL's coach of the year. The winner will be announced at the NHL awards ceremony June 22 at the Palms.

Olympic champion Canada defeated Belarus 4-1 behind Jordan Eberle's two goals in an opening game at hockey's world championship in Kosice, Slovakia. Germany sprung an upset on the first day of the 16-team tournament by beating Russia 2-0, with Slovakia and Switzerland also winning. The United States opens today against Austria.

Las Vegas' Michael Hunter will fight for the gold medal tonight in the 201-pound division of the national Golden Gloves championships after defeating Indiana's James Shorter in the second round of their three-round semifinal in Indianapolis. Hunter, who has won all four of his bouts this week by stoppage, will face Chicago's Michael Jekabson in the final.

North Carolina State granted quarterback Russell Wilson, an All-Atlantic Coast Conference performer, his release as he pursues a professional baseball career. Wilson, who led the ACC in passing yardage last season, is playing second base for the Asheville Tourists, a Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.

Miami Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall visited the team complex in Davie, Fla., less than a week after his wife was charged with stabbing him with a kitchen knife. He was briefly hospitalized after being stabbed in the abdomen but is expected to fully recover.

A grand jury in Columbus, Ohio, indicted former Ohio State and NFL quarterback Art Schlichter, 51, on 13 felony counts. The Columbus Dispatch reported the indictment on 12 counts of theft and one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity is linked to a million-dollar ticket-selling scheme.

Novak Djokovic won his 26th straight match to remain unbeaten in 2011, defeating Slovenia's Blaz Kavcic 6-3, 6-2 in the Serbia Open quarterfinals in Belgrade, Spain. Djokovic's start is the best to an ATP Tour season since Ivan Lendl in 1986.

John Force (Funny Car), Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Ronnie Humphrey (Pro Stock) and LE Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle) raced to No. 1 qualifying positions in the NHRA Spring Nationals in Baytown, Texas. Force posted a 4.097-second run at 310.27 mph; Schumacher had a 3.817 at a track-record speed of 323.81; Humphrey clocked a 6.571 at 211.16; and Tonglet had a track-record time of 6.849 at 195.45.

Olympic champion Kim Yu-na of South Korea claimed the lead with 65.91 points after the short program at the figure skating world championships in Moscow. In the ice dance, reigning Olympic and world champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada won the short dance to take a half-point lead over main rivals Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States.