Rockets out, but Van Gundy may not be

Jeff Van Gundy could have staying power in Houston even though the Rockets failed to advance past the first round of the playoffs for the fourth straight season with Van Gundy at the helm. Responding to a New York Post report that said Van Gundy is leaving NBA coaching, the coach yesterday told the Houston Chronicle he has not decided to step down, and Rockets owner Leslie Alexander told the paper he hasn't reached a decision on Van Gundy's future. Citing an "impeccable source," the Post reported Van Gundy would stop coaching for the foreseeable future. According to the source, Van Gundy's decision isn't based on the first-round series loss to the Jazz. Utah won Game 7 in Houston Saturday night.

Baseball

The Seattle Mariners suspended reliever Julio Mateo for 10 days without pay, a day after he was arrested following a dispute with his wife at a Manhattan hotel. Mateo was suspended for missing Saturday's game without permission, the Mariners said. The 6-foot, 220-pound reliever was arrested on a charge of third-degree assault, posted bond, and was released. Police said his wife needed five stitches to her mouth . . . Persistent knee pain landed Cardinals outfielder Preston Wilson on the 15-day disabled list, and the team replaced him with its best minor league hitter, outfielder Ryan Ludwick . . . Frank Torre, the brother of Yankees manager Joe Torre, was moved back to intensive care when he developed pneumonia following kidney transplant surgery . . . Clay Buchholz struck out eight and allowed two runs over five innings to earn his first Double A victory for the visiting Portland Sea Dogs, who beat the Binghamton Mets, 8-3 . . . Brandon Moss had three hits, but the visiting Pawtucket Red Sox squandered a three-run lead and fell to the Buffalo Bisons, 5-3.

Hockey

Erik Staal scored 23 seconds into overtime to give Canada a 4-3 victory over the Czech Republic in Mytischi, Russia, but the point earned by reaching overtime was enough to advance the Czechs to the quarterfinals at the world championships. Pavol Demitra scored the winning goal and Slovakia reached the quarterfinals with a 4-3 victory over Belarus. Already through to the final eight teams were the United States and Canada, who meet today. Russia's Alexander Ovechkin received a one-game suspension for a hit to the head of Valentin Wirz in a 6-3 win over Switzerland. Ovechkin will miss today's game against Sweden, but Russia already has qualified for the quarterfinals with a 5-0 record . . . Red Wings defenseman Mathieu Schneider is out for the postseason after breaking his left wrist during Detroit's Game 5 victory over San Jose Saturday. Bill Guerin, struck in the face by a deflected shot in Game 4, is unlikely to play for the Sharks in Game 6 tonight.

Tennis

After a 10-year career highlighted by 34 career singles titles, 23-year-old Kim Clijsters is done with tennis. "Health and private happiness are so much more important," the former US Open champ said on her website. A wrist injury last year stopped Clijsters from defending her only major title in New York and from playing in the Fed Cup final. The former world No. 1 initially planned to quit after this season. She reached this year's Australian Open semifinals but injured her hip. She recently complained of back pain after losing in Key Biscayne, Fla. . . . Philipp Kohlschreiber won his first title by beating Mikhail Youzhny, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, at the BMW Open in Munich . . . Novak Djokovic won his third ATP title of 2007, beating Richard Gasquet, 7-6 (9-7), 0-6, 6-1, in the Estoril Open final in Oeiras, Portugal.

Colleges

Tennessee's Monica Abbott became the NCAA's career strikeout leader in the host Lady Vols' 9-2 victory over Alabama, overtaking former Texas star Cat Osterman. Abbott struck out six, putting the record -- covering all NCAA divisions -- at 2,271 . . . Burlington's Kristen Mahoney allowed five hits over six innings as UMass-Lowell edged Merrimack, 3-2, in Syracuse, N.Y., and won the Northeast-10 championship . . . Westfield State routed visiting Salem State, 13-1, to win the MASCAC baseball title . . . Lauren Morton's five goals helped Boston University's women's lacrosse team earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament with a 17-9 victory over Albany in the America East title game in Stony Brook, N.Y. Middlebury's lacrosse teams won NESCAC titles. Skyler Hopkins scored five goals as the Middlebury men beat Wesleyan, 11-6, in Medford. In Middlebury, Vt., Kim Walker scored six goals as the Panthers beat the Colby women, 10-8.

Miscellany

Manchester United won its first English Premier League title since 2003 without kicking a ball because Chelsea, trying to win its third straight Premiership crown, was held to a 1-1 tie at Arsenal. United, which beat Manchester City Saturday, has 88 points. Chelsea is second with 81 points with two games left . . . Christian Gomez and Jaime Moreno scored as host D.C. United (1-3-1) beat Chivas USA, 2-1, for its first MLS win of the season . . . Asafa Powell, who shares the world record in the 100 meters, is training at full speed and could return to competition in June after weeks on the sideline because of knee tendinitis . . . Emirates Team New Zealand joined America's BMW Oracle Racing and Italy's Luna Rossa in the semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Cup with a victory over China Team off Valencia, Spain .