20-year-old Bayne wins the Daytona 500

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (AP)—Trevor Bayne, in just his second Sprint Cup Series start, pulled off a stunning victory in his first Daytona 500 on Sunday, becoming the youngest winner in the 53 years of the Great American Race.

Bayne, who turned 20 the day before the biggest race of his career, took the Wood Brothers back to Victory Lane for the first time since 2001.

As he crossed the line, Bayne screamed into his radio: “Are you kidding me?!”

The rookie had been great throughout Speedweeks in the No. 21 Ford, even proving his mettle by pushing four-time champion Jeff Gordon for most of a qualifying race.

Trevor Bayne

With the win Bayne breaks Gordon’s mark as the youngest winner in Daytona 500 history. Gordon was 26 when he won the 500 in 1997.

“I think it’s very cool. Trevor’s a good kid, and I love the Wood Brothers,” Gordon said. “I’m really happy for him. And I think it’s great for the sport. To have a young talent like that—he’s got that spark, you know?”

The victory for NASCAR pioneers Leonard and Glen Wood ended a 10-year-losing streak, and came the week of the 10th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt’s fatal accident on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

That anniversary had everyone almost certain Sunday’s win would go to Earnhardt Jr., the prodigal son, who shied away from the suggestion that the stars were lined up for a spectacular tribute to his father.

Bayne, whose official web site says “Coming Soon,” never even allowed himself to daydream about such a magical finish.

“Our first 500, are you kidding me?” said Bayne, who needed directions to Victory Lane. “Wow. This is unbelievable.”

The race had a record 74 lead changes among 22 drivers, and a record 16 cautions that wiped out many of the leaders, including Earnhardt Jr. on the first attempt at NASCAR’s version of overtime. It put Bayne out front with a slew of unusual suspects.

David Ragan, winless in 147 career starts, was actually leading the field on NASCAR’s first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish. But he was flagged for changing lanes before the starting line, then an accident that collected Earnhardt in the middle of the pack brought out the caution, and Bayne inherited the lead.

But he had two-time series champion Tony Stewart, now winless in 13 career Daytona 500s, lurking behind with veterans Bobby Labonte, Mark Martin and Kurt Busch, who had collected two previous wins over Speedweeks. All were chomping at the bit for their first Daytona 500 title, but Bayne never blinked, holding his gas pedal down wide open as he staved off every challenge over the two-lap final shootout.

“I’ve never been to a racetrack with this many people!” he yelled in Victory Lane.

Edwards wound up second in a Ford and was followed by David Gilliland, Labonte and Busch.

Juan Pablo Montoya was sixth, Regan Smith seventh, and Kyle Busch, Paul Menard and Martin rounded out the top 10.

Earnhardt Jr. wound up 24th.

The race was a battle of attrition, thanks to the dicey two-car tandem racing at nearly 200 mph that was the norm throughout Speedweeks.

Hendrick Motorsports had a rough start to the season as three of the team’s four cars, including five-time defending Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, were involved in an early 14-car wreck.

Gordon, who started on the front row, and veteran Mark Martin also sustained damage in the melee.

Gordon questioned the aggressiveness of his fellow drivers, especially so early in the race.

“What I don’t quite understand is why guys are doing it three-wide, three-deep running for 28th,” he said

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Moore leads No. 11 Purdue past No. 2 Ohio State

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP)—E’Twaun Moore seemingly toyed with Ohio State.

Whether he was knocking down one of his seven 3-pointers, making an acrobatic layup or draining a jumper in the closing seconds of the first half, the senior guard seemed at ease. He scored a career-high 38 points to help No. 11 Purdue beat No. 2 Ohio State 76-63 on Sunday.

His teammates saw it coming.

“I know once he gets that rhythm going and steps back and hits a 3 and once he smiles, you know he has it going,” guard Lewis Jackson said. “E’Twaun, he may put his fingers up and tell you he hit a 3-pointer, but he rarely smiles. Once he smiles, he’s in a zone, and you probably won’t stop him that night.”

Purdue guard E'Twaun

Purdue (22-5, 11-3 Big Ten) has had much to smile about in the past week. The Boilermakers defeated No. 10 Wisconsin on Wednesday, and their two wins over Top 10 teams brought them within a game of the Buckeyes (25-2, 12-2) for the conference lead with four games to play.

Purdue’s win capped a week that saw the top four teams in the AP Top 25 lose a game. With losses in the past week by No. 1 Kansas, No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Pittsburgh, the Buckeyes entered the game in line to reclaim the No. 1 ranking they dropped after losing at Wisconsin on Feb. 12.

Ohio State coach Thad Matta knew his team was playing in a rough stretch, and he expected challenges.

“We’ve got to continue to keep our focus,” he said. “Our guys know we have to play better basketball and we have to get them ready to do that.”

Ohio State center Jared Sullinger, who scored 25 points, said this game was nothing like Ohio State’s 87-64 win over Purdue on Jan. 25.

“In that game, we had toughness to not get screened, toughness to make shots, toughness to make plays on the defensive end, and we didn’t do that today,” he said.

Jon Diebler scored 11 points and David Lighty and Aaron Craft each had 10 for the Buckeyes, who have lost two of three after winning their first 24 games.

Moore surpassed 2,000 career points during a flurry of 13 in the final 3:49 of the first half, becoming the fifth player in school history to reach the milestone.

“Right now, it’s just numbers to me,” Moore said. “I still have a career and games to play. Later I may look back on it and really say that was a lot of points, a lot of rebounds, and enjoy it with my friends and family. But right now I still have a lot of basketball.”

Moore made 13 of 18 shots and had five assists and two steals. Purdue coach Matt Painter said Moore’s performance was extra special because it came against Lighty, whom Painter considers the best defensive guard in the Big Ten.

“He gets into those rhythms and gets going, he can score points in bunches,” Painter said. “I’ve always thought he was one of the best guards in the country when he lets things come to him. He didn’t force a lot. That’s really, whether he takes 10 shots or 20 shots, the deal with him. If he can do that, he really, really helps our team.”

JaJuan Johnson added 13 points and six rebounds for Purdue.

Diebler entered the game one 3-pointer short of the Big Ten career record of 331 set by Penn State’s Pete Lisicky from 1994-1998. Diebler tied the record on a fadeaway as the shot clock expired that gave Ohio State an 11-5 lead, and broke it on a shot from the right corner 1 minute into the second half.

Ohio State led 28-24 in the first half before Moore took over. He hit a 3-pointer, then scored on an acrobatic fastbreak layup to give Purdue the lead. He followed that with two more 3s to give the Boilermakers a 35-30 lead.

Lighty’s 3-pointer with 20 seconds left in the first half cut the lead to two, but Moore drained a jumper over Lighty in the closing seconds of the half to push Purdue’s lead to 37-33.

Moore found a streaking Terone Johnson with a behind-the-back pass, and Johnson’s layup gave Purdue a 48-42 lead. Moore then made a long jumper to push the lead to 10 for the first time.

Ohio State hung around while Purdue took questionable shots. Sullinger drove for a powerful two-handed dunk and was fouled. His free throw cut Purdue’s lead to 56-51.

Moore hit a fadeaway, then his sixth 3-pointer, to increase Purdue’s lead to 61-53.

Ohio State closed the gap to 65-61, but Moore hit another 3-pointer, and Purdue led by at least seven points the rest of the way.

Purdue shot 51 percent overall after hitting just 38 percent in the first matchup.

“We’re not playing team defense,” Sullinger said. “We need five guys connected. Once we get that back, we’re going to be all right.”

Ohio State shot 6 for 22 from the field and committed nine turnovers in the second half.

“We need to execute better on offense,” Diebler said. “We had some turnovers that were self-imposed. That’s the beauty of college basketball. We’ve got another game Tuesday.”

By CLIFF BRUNT, AP Sports Writer

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Celtics, Heat go to Kobe’s house for All-Star game

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Kobe Bryant(notes) needed only a quick survey of the All-Star rosters for the names to jump out at him.

“We’re playing the Celtics and the Heat,” he said. “And the Hawks.”

Forget that last one. It’s those first two that should spice up Sunday night’s game on Bryant’s home floor, particularly the presence of a record-tying four players from that hated team in green.

“I think there will some boos in the stands. I’m expecting that,” said San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich, who will coach the Western Conference.

Kobe Bryant

Boston’s Doc Rivers will lead an East team that includes Kevin Garnett(notes), Paul Pierce(notes), Ray Allen(notes) and Rajon Rondo(notes). He also gets Miami’s Big Three, including LeBron James(notes) and Dwyane Wade(notes) in his starting lineup.

“I can get used to that,” Rivers said.

Chicago’s Derrick Rose(notes), Orlando’s Dwight Howard(notes) and New York’s Amare Stoudemire(notes) are the other East starters, with Atlanta’s Joe Johnson(notes) and Al Horford(notes) rounding out the reserves. But most eyes will be on the Celtics and Heat, both of whom already won at Staples Center this season.

Bryant denied gaining extra motivation from seeing them again, insisting he gets up to play anybody. But Lakers fans might feel differently if Rivers goes ahead with his previously mentioned plan and puts the four Celtics on the floor together.

“Four of them going out there, it might get your blood going,” said former Celtics All-Star and current Turner Sports analyst Kevin McHale. “I’m sure they’ll look out and think the Celtics are invading again.”

The Lakers beat the Celtics in Game 7 of last year’s NBA finals at Staples Center. An exhibition game could never replace that, but Rivers and his players would love to walk off their longtime rivals’ court as winners ahead of the chance they really want in June.

That will require the Celtics and Heat, developing their own rivalry, to play nice for a night. James said that’s no problem, recalling that his East winners in 2006 had four Detroit Pistons, the only other team to have four players picked by the coaches as reserves.

“For that weekend, as hard as it is, we’ll kind of put the rivalries and the dislikes aside for the better of the fans and the better of the game,” James said.

Rivers is glad to hear it—even if he doesn’t necessarily buy it.

“I’ve always been amazed by it, even when you know guys don’t like each other,” he said. “In this case, I don’t know if that’s true, but there are certain guys on different teams that don’t like each other. And then they’re in the All-Star game. I’ve always laughed when you see ‘em like laughing and joking. You know, boy, they’re so … phony right now. That’s what you want to say. But that’s good. As long as we win the All-Star game, too, that’ll be fine.”

Joining Bryant in the West lineup will be the Hornets’ Chris Paul(notes), NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant(notes) of Oklahoma City, Denver’s Carmelo Anthony(notes)—yes, he’s still in the West, at least for now—and San Antonio’s Tim Duncan(notes), whom Popovich chose Thursday night to replace Yao Ming(notes). The Houston center was voted in by fans despite being injured.

Among the west forwards are Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki(notes), the Lakers’ Pau Gasol(notes) and the Clippers’ Blake Griffin(notes), the first rookie picked for the All-Star game since Yao in 2003.

Griffin headlines the field for the slam dunk contest during All-Star Saturday night, and his high-flying style should fit perfectly in Sunday’s game, where defense is usually absent for the first 3 1/2 quarters. Setting up the hometown player is an All-Star game tradition, so what do you think, rook?

“I heard there’s another hometown guy,” Griffin said with a laugh.

That would be Bryant, who returns in front of his frenzied fans after having to sit out last year’s game at Dallas Cowboys Stadium with an ankle injury. A three-time MVP of the All-Star game, he is one shy of the record held by Bob Pettit.

Wade won last year, and James earned the award while helping the East win two of the previous four contests. They could be even better together on the All-Star stage after a half-season as teammates in Miami—and would be OK with sharing the celebration with the Celtics.

“Every All-Star that I’ve been to, guys always put the season aside and focus on that weekend,” Wade said. “Being an All-Star, when you’re there, it’s special. It’s special to look around in that locker room and say, ‘Man, I’m blessed to be one of the best players that this game has to offer.’ It’s just a special time.”

As usual, there’s business along with the festivities. Representatives from the owners and players met Friday to discuss a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the one that expires June 30. Though there wasn’t much progress, there also wasn’t the acrimony of a year ago, when the players shot down the owners’ original proposal for a new deal at All-Star weekend.

And perhaps Denver will move closer to finding a deal for Anthony, who has refused to sign the contract extension they offered him last summer, forcing them to consider trading their leading scorer before Thursday’s deadline to avoid losing him for nothing when he becomes a free agent in July.

The events Saturday include the 3-point contest, where Pierce and Allen could go head-to-head. Pierce is the defending champion, Allen won a decade ago and will be back on the floor where he set an NBA finals record last year by making eight 3-pointers in Game 2.

They’ve exchanged some playful trash talk, but the feud with the Heat that has to be set aside the next night is real.

“I don’t think you truly relax and say, ‘Hey, we’re best buddies,’ because we’re in the All-Star game together,” Allen said. “There’s an honest camaraderie amongst all of the players, but there’s a hatred that exists.”

McHale predicts some players will get caught up trying to dazzle what’s sure to be the usual celebrity-filled crowd Sunday night, especially if the game becomes one-sided. But if it’s tight, he and Popovich agree that both teams will be focused on trying to win it.

“I think these guys are pretty happy to be doing what they’re doing, but if the game is close and it’s down the stretch, I think they’ll go after each other and play to win, I really do,” Popovich said. “They’re all competitors, that’s what they do.”

AP Sports Writers Jimmy Golen and Howard Ulman in Boston, and Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.

By BRIAN MAHONEY, AP Basketball Writer

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3rd day of mediated NFL labor talks done

WASHINGTON (AP)—Mediated negotiations toward a new NFL labor deal have broken up for the day after about eight hours of talks.

NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith didn’t stop for questions as he left the Washington office of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, a U.S. government agency, shortly after 6 p.m. He and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell both arrived at about 10 a.m.

Sunday is the third consecutive day of face-to-face communication after months of slow and sometimes contentious bargaining.

Because mediator George Cohen asked both sides not to comment publicly on these negotiations, it’s not clear what, if any, progress is being made.

The NFL’s labor deal expires at the end of the day March 3.

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NASCAR moves Daytona 500 back a week in 2012

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP)—The Daytona 500 is on the move.

NASCAR and track officials announced Sunday that the Great American Race will be a week later in 2012, allowing the sport to shorten its season and avoid any potential conflicts with the NFL’s Super Bowl.

NASCAR’s 2012 season opener will be Sunday, Feb. 26.

The new date allows NASCAR to eliminate a traditional off week following the first three races of the season. It also gets NASCAR ahead of any potential changes to the NFL schedule, including an 18-game schedule or NFL labor strife that might force the Super Bowl in Indianapolis to be delayed a week.

Daytona 500

“We’re not going to deny the fact that part of this also is in dealing with the NFL,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s vice president of racing operations. “Who knows where they’ll go with an 18-game schedule. But we want to get ahead of that.

“Either way, we think it’s the right thing to do for our season to kick off. The Super Bowl’s certainly a big event, but so’s the Daytona 500. To give fans an opportunity to go to both of those we think is the right move, it’s a win-win for everybody.”

The Super Bowl is scheduled for Feb. 5. But Colts owner Jim Irsay and host committee officials have said the NFL asked city officials to keep blocks of hotel rooms and city venues open for that weekend and the next.

The current collective bargaining agreement runs out at the end of the day March 3. The players believe that team owners are preparing to lock them out as soon as the following day, which could threaten the 2011 season. The NFL has not lost games to a work stoppage since 1987.

Nonetheless, NASCAR officials are anticipating changes to the NFL’s schedule. Whether it’s an 18-game schedule and/or an extra bye week thrown in, they certainly don’t want Speedweeks trying to compete with America’s biggest sporting event, the Super Bowl.

They even declined to say that the date for the next Daytona 500—the fourth Sunday in February—would remain the same in future years.

They also stopped short of announcing other races during 2012 Speedweeks, including the exhibition Budweiser Shootout. That could mean NASCAR officials are considering condensing Speedweeks from a two-weekend event spanning 11 days to a weeklong extravaganza.

“I’m not prepared to ask for that,” Daytona International Speedway president Joey Chitwood III said. “I like having the Shootout, I like having the ARCA event and I like having that weekend. It’s a good weekend for our fans.”

NASCAR officials don’t feel the same about the off weekend early in the season. Drivers and owners have complained that the 36-race season is too long already, insisting there’s little need for a bye week in March.

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that hurts our momentum throughout the season,” O’Donnell said. “So by being able to move the date back a week, we close up that off week, NASCAR’s able to keep the momentum throughout the season, which we think is great.”

By MARK LONG, AP Sports Writer

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Young tells Rangers he won’t be a distraction

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP)—Michael Young(notes) had a message for his teammates before the AL champion Texas Rangers held their first full-squad workout Sunday and he took grounders at second base for the first time in several years.

“He said he wasn’t going to be a distraction. That was it,” manager Ron Washington said, relaying what Young said during a scheduled team meeting before the workout.

“I think that was what was talked about more than getting ready for the season and I thought it was unnecessary,” Young said. “The guys know me well so I wanted to say a couple of things about it and move on.”

Michael Young

Young had requested a trade last month, but with no deal done reported to camp on time Saturday and said he was focused on getting ready for the season. He said the offseason drama wouldn’t affect his preparations for the season and a new role with the team.

“First and foremost I’m a baseball player. There’s nothing to block out,” he said. “For it to become public is regretful but I’ve got no regrets. Baseball is my life sport. It’s my entire life.”

The longest-tenured Ranger going into his 11th season, Young has a different role for the third time in eight springs. He is expected to be the team’s primary designated hitter and utility infielder after the offseason acquisition of Adrian Beltre(notes) supplanted Young at third base, the position he played the last two seasons.

Rain altered some of the planned schedule on the first full day, but pitchers were able to throw and fielders got in some drills before taking batting practice. Young worked at second base, the position he played when he became a starter for the Rangers in 2001.

“It feels like home for me on defense,” Young said. “I hadn’t played there in years, played there in the World Baseball Classic and it was like I never left.”

Young moved to shortstop before the 2004 season after Alex Rodriguez(notes) was traded, then was switched to third base two years ago when the Rangers decided to promote Elvis Andrus(notes) from the minors.

Washington also plans for Young, the team’s career hits leader and a six-time All-Star (five times at shortstop, once at third), to get some work at first base this spring even though most of his at-bats will come as the designated hitter. Young has never played first base and doesn’t even have his own first baseman’s mitt yet.

“I never played third base in my life either. You learn by doing,” Young said. “I’m sure there are a lot of challenges out at first base I’m unaware of. I think it’s more than just the ground balls and the throws there to pick up.”

Though he took no grounders at first Sunday, he talked to assistant coach Dave Anderson about footwork at the bag.

Chris Davis(notes), who has played 192 games at first base and 44 at third base over the past three seasons, was working at third base.

In Washington’s message to the team before the first full-squad workout, the manager talked about staying healthy, especially the first few days of camp while getting back into the swing of things. He also briefly talked about last season.

“I brought up that we’re the defending American League champions. We have some guys who weren’t here before and I wanted them to know how we do things,” Washington said. “If we take care of things every day between now and April, if we take care of that and take it serious, the game will work out for itself.

“Baseball is baseball. There’s no reinventing the wheel,” he said. “You go out there and react to what the game gives you.”

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Wozniacki beats Kuznetsova to win Dubai final

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—Caroline Wozniacki earned her first singles title of 2011, beating an error-prone Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia 6-1, 6-3 in the Dubai Championships final Sunday.

The Dane, who will retake the No. 1 ranking from Kim Clijsters on Monday, was never seriously threatened by the 23rd-ranked Kuznetsova. The Russian still moves up to 11th in the rankings.

Caroline Wozniacki

Wozniacki, who didn’t drop a set during the week on her way to winning her 13th career title, showed off a more aggressive style that included repeated forays to the net in the first set that helped her race to a 2-0 lead. She closed out the set by winning the final four games as Kuznetsova was hurt by missed volleys and erratic shots sent long and wide.

“I definitely went for my shots,” Wozniacki said on court after her victory. “It’s paying off now. I’m definitely playing better than I have been before.”

Wozniacki again took the initiative in the second set, going up 3-1.

“I felt really good out there today,” Wozniacki said. “I felt like I was hitting the ball well, clean, and I could really stay aggressive today. I knew I had to because if Svetlana is allowed to stay and dictate, she’s just too strong.”

Kuznetsova, who came back from a set down to beat French Open champion Francesca Schiavone and Tsvetana Pronkova on her way to the final, conceded she didn’t have her best game Sunday.

“I just didn’t play well. I did too many unforced errors,” Kuznetsova said. “She played a basic game and didn’t have to do much. I was just making so many unforced errors.”

Kuznetsova said it was difficult to come back against Wozniacki, who is considered one of the best defensive players on the tour.

“I think I force too much. This is because she defends well I force too much,” Kuznetsova said. “I mean, for me, it’s very frustrating because I don’t play my good game. If I would play my good game and I lose, OK. You know, it’s like she played better than me. She does well. She plays a stable game and she wins. But I cannot tell you that she overpowered me or she overran me.”

Wozniacki, who lost in the Australian Open semifinals to China’s Li Na, will stay at No. 1 at least through March 20.

“I like winning, so of course it’s important. It’s important for me to win,” she said. “I hate to lose. For me to stand here as the winner of the tournament, it’s a great feeling. I have the confidence. I know I’m playing well. The hard training is paying off. So I’m really pleased.”

By MICHAEL CASEY, AP Sports Writer

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No. 14 Florida beats LSU 68-61

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)—Florida has put itself in position to challenge for a Southeastern Conference championship.

The 14th-ranked Gators, playing without injured starting forward Chandler Parsons, survived a tricky test on Sunday, beating LSU 68-61 for their fifth consecutive victory that moved them into a tie with Alabama for the overall SEC lead.

However, the final two weeks of the regular season will not be easy for Florida (21-5, 10-2). The Gators’ remaining opponents are Georgia, Kentucky, Alabama and Vanderbilt—four potential NCAA tournament teams.

Florida guard Scottie Wilbekin

Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton each scored 17 points and for Florida. Walker made three 3-pointers and all four of his free throw attempts. Boynton was 5 of 12 from the field and made six of his seven foul shots.

“We had a great first half,” Boynton said. “We played great going inside-out. We lost that in the second half and LSU hit shots in the second half.”

Center Vernon Macklin set the tone for the Gators in the first half when they built a 15-point lead. He was 6 of 9 from the field and scored 12 points in the first half and finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.

“I felt like it was going to be important to go inside and try to establish Vernon,” said Florida coach Billy Donovan, who didn’t have Parsons because of a thigh bruise. “We got him some touches and they elected not to double him. They played him head-up in the post. Vernon established a low base early where he was not getting pushed off the post.”

Ralston Turner scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half for the Tigers (10-17, 2-10), who have lost 10 straight.

“It’s starting to be a habit,” LSU coach Trent Johnson said of the losing streak. “Florida’s pretty good. In the first half, it was as much as what they were doing as to what we didn’t do. We showed very, very good competitiveness and courage in the second half. That’s probably as good as we can play at this time.”

Two scoring spurts enabled Florida to take a 15-point halftime lead. Ahead 9-8 lead, the Gators ran off 10 consecutive points with all but two coming from reserves Patric Young and Erik Murphy. The other points came on a field goal by Boynton.

LSU pulled within 21-16 after a 3-pointer by Aaron Dotson. Florida then outscored the Tigers 11-3 over a 5-minute span. Boynton connected on two shots, one a 3-pointer, and Macklin made two field goals.

A basket by Walker completed the outburst and gave the Gators a 32-19 lead with 5:47 remaining in the first half. Macklin made two shots in the final 5 minutes as Florida took a 40-25 lead.

“We just wanted to crash the boards pretty hard,” Macklin said. “We tried to get to the rim stronger than LSU. We just have to keep playing and practicing hard. If we let our practice carry over to our games, we’ll be fine from here on out.”

LSU reduced its deficit to 42-34 as Turner knocked down a 3-pointer and made two of three free throws after being fouled on another 3-point attempt.

The Gators stopped the Tigers’ run with six straight points. Walker connected on a 3-pointer, Macklin made one free throw and Boynton added two more. LSU made one last run at Florida inside the 9-minute mark.

A three-point play by Macklin put the Gators in front 58-46 with 9:01 remaining. The Tigers held Florida scoreless for almost 6 minutes. Matt Derenbecker hit a 3-pointer and Garrett Green made one of two free throws. A jumper by Turner left LSU behind 58-52.

Florida’s scoring drought ended when Boynton made a layup after a steal by Macklin. The Tigers got within 60-54 on a basket by Daron Populist, but the Gators made six consecutive free throws—four by Walker—in the last 2 minutes.

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Tomko agrees to minor league deal with Rangers

Texas Rangers.

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP)—Right-hander Brett Tomko(notes) has agreed to a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers.

Tomko is trying to come back from a nerve problem in his right arm that ended his 2009 season. His last major league game was a five-hit shutout victory for Oakland at Texas on Sept. 14, 2009.

The Rangers said Saturday the 37-year-old Tomko is expected to be ready to pitch by May.

Tomko pitched in Oakland’s minor league system last season, going 2-3 with a 7.18 ERA in 14 starts.

He is 100-102 with a 4.65 ERA in 398 career major league games for nine teams.

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Anderson makes 47 saves in Sens debut, beats Leafs

TORONTO (AP)—Craig Anderson(notes) made a quick impression on his new team.

The goalie stopped 47 shots in regulation and overtime in his first game as a member of the Ottawa Senators and was perfect in the shootout during a 1-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

It capped a tumultuous 36-hour period that saw Anderson acquired in a trade Friday from Colorado for Brian Elliott(notes). He barely had time to introduce himself to his new teammates before taking the ice at Air Canada Centre.

“The emotions are huge, they’re running (high),” Anderson said after registering his first shutout in nearly a year. “I leave a team where I battled for two years … it’s tough to do that. But there’s 20 new guys in here that are great guys, that I’m ready to learn with and get to know and grow with.

Toronto Maple' Leafs

What it’s about here is growing together as a team and finding a way to make 20 new friends here like I did in Colorado.”

He was a popular man after single-handedly getting Ottawa just its second win in 15 games. Anderson’s nicest stop came in overtime when he got a pad on Phil Kessel’s(notes) chance that had the Leafs sniper burying his head in frustration on the bench.

Ottawa’s Jason Spezza(notes) scored the only goal in the shootout as the team earned its first victory after regulation this season. All it took was a new face.

“He was in the zone all night,” Spezza said of Anderson. “He just looked solid and we’re happy to have him.”

The next several weeks should serve as a major opportunity for the 29-year-old goaltender. After struggling to live up to a sensational 2009-10 season in Colorado, Anderson has been given a new life with unrestricted free agency on the horizon.

Not only will he get a chance to audition for the Senators, he can also showcase his talents for other teams heading into a summer that will also see the likes of Ilya Bryzgalov(notes), Tomas Vokoun(notes) and J.S. Giguere potentially become available July 1.

“In this game, you’re always auditioning for a job,” Anderson said. “You’re only as good as your next game. Tonight I’m going to enjoy this and tomorrow maybe enjoy a little bit more on a day off, but Monday I’ll come back to work and start focusing for the next one.

“For me, you’re always playing for a contract, you’re always playing for a job.”

The night was a missed opportunity for a Maple Leafs team that continues to hold out faint hope of getting into the Eastern Conference playoff picture. With Carolina and Atlanta both losing Saturday, Toronto failed to gain much ground on two rivals and now sits seven points back of the eighth-place Hurricanes.

“It’s not the way I wanted it to end,” said Leafs goalie James Reimer(notes), who earned his second shutout of the season.

It was a pretty tame meeting between the once-heated rivals—save for a spirited fight between Jay Rosehill(notes) and Francis Lessard(notes) and a big hit by Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf(notes) on Nick Foligno(notes)—who have both seen experienced players shipped out of town in trades over the last week.

There were a combined 15 players between the teams who have spent some time in the American Hockey League this season.

“We’ve got nothing to lose out there, we’re just going out and playing,” Senators forward Chris Neil(notes) said. “That’s how we’ve got to approach it. We’ve got a lot of young guys in the lineup now with the trades that have happened. We’re working hard, that’s all we can ask.”

Anderson was easily the best player on the ice.

He stopped 30 shots over the first two periods and was tested repeatedly in the third—getting a glove on a dangerous Luke Schenn(notes) chance with less than 10 minutes to play in regulation.

“It’s great for him,” Senators coach Cory Clouston said. “I’m excited for him. The guys really like the way he played obviously.”

Added Leafs coach Ron Wilson: “What I feared: Craig Anderson being excited with a change of scenery. He had a great night in a game we totally dominated.”

The Leafs went 0 for 6 with a man advantage one night after trading power-play quarterback Tomas Kaberle(notes) to Boston.

“I wanted to come in and make good first impression and show the guys I’m willing to work and battle for them,” Anderson said. “When they see me battling and do everything I can possibly can, it picks their game up a little bit and they’re willing to do a little bit extra.”

Notes: Toronto’s record fell to 25-27-7 while the Senators improved to 19-31-9 … Ottawa’s Peter Regin(notes) appeared to be injured after taking a hit from Joey Crabb(notes) in the third period. … Six players that appeared in the Jan. 1 meeting between the teams are now playing elsewhere—Kaberle (Boston), Francois Beauchemin(notes) (Anaheim), Kris Versteeg(notes) (Philadelphia), Mike Fisher(notes) (Nashville), Chris Kelly(notes) (Boston) and Elliott (Colorado). … Toronto forward Colby Armstrong(notes) missed his fourth straight game with blurred vision. … Schenn wore an ‘A’ for the Leafs … Announced attendance was 19,460.

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Hines’ 3-pointer banks in, Utah wins 62-60

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)—Chris Hines banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer Saturday to lift Utah to a 62-60 victory over New Mexico.

New Mexico’s Phillip McDonald missed the front end of a 1-and-1 free-throw opportunity with 17.3 seconds left, and Utah pushed it up court. The Utes (12-15, 5-8 Mountain West) lost control of the ball at the top of the key with the final seconds ticking off before Hines gained control and got off an off-balance shot that hit the glass and dropped through.

Drew Gordon had 17 points and a Mountain West Conference record 23 rebounds for the Lobos (17-10, 5-7). Dairese Gary added 21 points for New Mexico.

Hines had 15 points—all on 3-pointers—helping Utah overcome a 46-33 second-half deficit. The Utes also got 15 points from Josh Watkins and 12 from Shawn Glover.

Phillip McDonald

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Anthony meets with Nets owner

LOS ANGELES – Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony(notes) met with New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov and minority partner Jay-Z for less than an hour Saturday as they tried to sell him on accepting a three-year, $65 million contract extension, a source confirmed to Yahoo! Sports.

“The Nets didn’t come away very confident,” a source briefed on the meeting told Yahoo! Sports.

Nevertheless, the Nets’ best hope remains that Denver refuses to do a deal with New York, gets to the trade deadline on Thursday and simply tells Anthony: If you want your $65 million extension, you can only get it with the Nets. If not, we will keep you and let you go to free agency.

Denver Nuggets

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Montoya makes 35 saves in Isles’ 3-0 win vs. Kings

After all, it’s not often a player scores two goals against his brother-in-law in the NHL. Talk about family bragging rights.

Moulson got the better of Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick(notes), and Al Montoya(notes) made 35 saves in his first NHL start in nearly two years in the New York Islanders’ 3-0 victory Saturday night.

“It was lucky to get a couple on him,” Moulson said. “We had a dinner (Friday). He wouldn’t let me cook. He thought I was going to put something in there.”

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Nominees And Winners grammy 2011

Nominees And Winners grammy 2011

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Herb Alpert

Herb Alpert and Lani Hall

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