Sun get knocked out of WNBA playoffs

September 23, 2008

Rookie Essence Carson scored 15 points and the New York Liberty advanced to the WNBA Eastern Conference finals with a 66-62 win over the Connecticut Sun last night in Uncasville, Conn. Shameka Christon had 13 points and Janel McCarville added 12 points and 7 rebounds to help the Liberty win a postseason series for the first time since 2004. The Liberty will play either Detroit or Indiana in the opener of the conference finals Thursday night. That series is tied with Game 3 tonight. Lindsay Whalen scored 19 points and Asjha Jones added 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Sun . . . Sophia Young scored 27 points as the host San Antonio Silver Stars advanced to the Western Conference finals with an 86-81 overtime victory over the Sacramento Monarchs to take the best-of-three series, 2-1 . . . Washington Mystics general manager Linda Hargrove has been fired after a 10-24 season that ended with a nine-game losing streak . . . Syracuse guard Eric Devendorf, who missed 25 of the Orange's 35 games last season with a knee injury, has been given an additional year of athletic eligibility by the Big East Conference. The school applied on Devendorf's behalf after he suffered a torn ACL in a game last December against East Tennessee State and missed the rest of the season.

The Kings' Shareef Abdur-Rahim has retired because of a persistent right knee injury. The 31-year-old forward played 12 NBA seasons for four teams, beginning his career in 1996 when the Grizzlies made him the third overall draft pick. The 2002 All-Star averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in his career . . . Tim Donaghy, the disgraced NBA referee who pleaded guilty last year to felony gambling charges, will being serving a 15-month sentence today at a federal prison camp in Pensacola, Fla., according to ESPN.com . . . The Wizards picked up a one-year option on coach Eddie Jordan, keeping him under contract through the 2009-10 season . . . The Suns signed Slovenian point guard Goran Dragic, 22, to a multiyear contract and say he will play for the team this season. The Suns acquired the rights to Dragic in a draft-day trade with the Spurs, and he had to reach a $2 million buyout agreement with his Spanish team to sign with Phoenix. The Suns see him as a backup and eventual replacement for 34-year-old Steve Nash . . . After building an Olympic gold medal-winning team, Jerry Colangelo might make a run at another championship with USA Basketball. "I'm kind of leaning toward continuing, but we still have some things that we're talking through just in terms of organization," Colangelo said. "I'm kind of inclined to continue because it is my connection" to basketball.

One headline branded the outcome "Faldo Folly." Another deemed him "Captain Calamity." European Ryder Cup captain Nick Faldo was under siege in his native England after his team's loss to the United States. Faldo was belittled for his player selections. "Nick Faldo, not the crowd, was America's 13th Man," the Daily Mail said of his role in Europe's 16 1/2-11 1/2 loss. The Times of London said that while US captain Paul Azinger instilled belief in his team, "Faldo inspired chaos." The Times assailed Faldo for using his most successful players - Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell - near the end of Sunday's singles matches rather than at the beginning. That meant the overall result was decided by the time they won their matches. The Telegraph said Faldo had used the Ryder Cup to feed his ego. "Faldo's gamble on the big finish left Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Padraig Harrington thrashing at thin air, their legs amputated by a hopelessly incontinent ego," it said . . . Joe Keller of Oyster Harbors defeated Jonathan Verity of Beaufort, S.C., 3 and 2 to advance to the second round of the US Senior Amateur at Fort Worth. Paul Murphy of Arlington also advanced, beating Bill Ploeger of Columbus, Ga.

Defending national champion Boston College will enter the season with the No. 1 ranking in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine men's college hockey poll. The Eagles, who return 15 lettermen from last season's 25-11-8 squad, collected 490 points and 27 of the 34 first-place votes. Michigan (432 points) was second followed by Notre Dame (376) in third. Joining BC in the top 10 were fellow Hockey East members New Hampshire (seventh) and Boston University (10th) . . . In the ECAC men's preseason coaches' poll, Harvard has been selected second with 103 points, trailing Princeton (118). In the women's poll, the Crimson were the top choice with 119 points, edging St. Lawrence (103).

The United States was disqualified from its fourth-place finish in the Beijing Olympic team dressage event for a positive drug test. The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) said rider Courtney King's horse Mythilus tested positive for the banned substance felbinac. The medication is used as an anti-inflammatory pain reliever. The FEI said it believed neither King "nor anyone on her behalf or related to the US Equestrian Federation had knowingly administered the medication to the horse." . . . Nike, which lost some of its edge at the Beijing Games when Speedo stole the spotlight with its LZR Racer suit, announced it is leaving the elite swimwear market. The company will continue to provide swimwear for colleges and sell to traditional retail customers. But it said it will not compete against the likes of Speedo to get the swoosh on the world's top swimmers . . . The Orioles-Athletics game postponed because of rain Sept. 7 in Baltimore will not be made up. Baltimore and Oakland are not in the playoff race, and because the A's would have a difficult time returning to Baltimore, MLB determined the game should be canceled . . . Dominika Cibulkova dropped the opening set but rallied to beat Amelie Mauresmo, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, in the first round of the China Open in Beijing.