Thunder blow 15-point lead, recover to edge Rockets

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) ― Russell Westbrook relishes the moments when an opponent challenges him and his Oklahoma City Thunder teammates and it becomes time to respond.Rookie Patrick Beverley showed a willingness to go toe-to-toe with the Thunder’s All-Star point guard, and the Houston Rockets didn’t back down despite a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter.Then it was up to Westbrook and the Thunder to come up with an answer.Westbrook and Kevin Durant each scored 29 points, and Oklahoma City recove

More SportsApril 25, 2013

Reds win finale of homestand

CINCINNATI (AP) ― Todd Frazier gave Mat Latos all the run support he needed, and Latos gave the Cincinnati Reds exactly what they needed to finish off a 10-game homestand in style.Latos retired the first 10 batters and 15 of the first 16 he faced and mostly spared an overworked bullpen, and Frazier hit a long home run and the Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0 Wednesday.“This is what we wanted so bad,” Reds manager Baker said. “This sets us straight for a couple of days.”With one out in the sixth in

BaseballApril 25, 2013

LPGA Tour makes first North Texas stop since ’91

IRVING, Texas (AP) ― Angela Stanford gets to experience a first in her 13 seasons on the LPGA Tour. She gets to stay at home and sleep in her own bed during a tournament.“It’s great to be home. I’m glad the LPGA is here. You know, I spend most of my time all year telling people how great it is here, so it’s nice to have the whole gang here,” said Stanford, who lives in nearby Fort Worth and went to school at TCU. “It was a little odd getting off the airplane from Hawaii ... like the whole tour w

GolfApril 25, 2013

Lee Si-young’s victory marred by bias talks

South Korean actress and boxer Lee Si-young recently became the topic of heated discussion over whether referees were biased in her favor during the national boxing team tryout.Lee defeated Kim Da-som 22-20 in the 48-kilogram class on Wednesday to win a spot on the South Korean women’s national team. The victory capped the successful transition into a competent boxer for 31-year-old Lee, who picked up the sport just three years ago at the relatively late age of 28. Her victory, however, was tarn

More SportsApril 25, 2013

Actress Lee Si-young makes Korean national boxing team

CHUNGJU (Yonhap News) ― Actress Lee Si-young, who has dabbled in boxing for the past two years, made the South Korean women’s national team on Wednesday.At the national team tryout held here in Chungju, about 150 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Lee defeated Kim Da-som 22-20 in the 48-kilogram class.Lee, 31, has starred in a few local television shows since her debut in 2008. She first picked up boxing in 2010 after being cast as a female boxer for a TV series. To learn that role, Lee began traini

More SportsApril 24, 2013

Golfers focus on short game ahead of Ballantine’s

ICHEON (Yonhap News) ― Ahead of South Korea’s only European Tour golf tournament, key golfers on Wednesday emphasized the importance of the short game. Blackstone Golf Club in Icheon, about 100 kilometers southeast of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province, will host the Ballantine’s Championship for four days starting Thursday. It’s the tournament’s sixth year in South Korea and third at the 7,281-yard layout.At No. 7 in the world, Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa is the highest-ranked player in the field

GolfApril 24, 2013

Bayern routs Barcelona 4-0

MUNICH (AP) ― For once, Barcelona was on the wrong end of the kind of rout it so often inflicts on others.And with Bayern Munich in such devastating form, even a fully fit Lionel Messi might not have made much difference.Thomas Mueller scored twice, Mario Gomez and Arjen Robben had one goal each and Bayern Munich routed Barcelona 4-0 Tuesday night in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal. Bayern humbled the Spanish powerhouse by taking full advantage of Messi’s subpar performance.“We

SoccerApril 24, 2013

Reds fall to Cubs in extras

CINCINNATI (AP) ― Starting pitcher Carlos Villanueva raised his arm toward a clubhouse attendant and twisted his hand, asking him to turn down the blaring music so he could hear reporters’ questions.At least there was music.The Chicago Cubs blew another late lead Tuesday night, but found a way to recover. Carlos Marmol gave up the tying run in the ninth before Darwin Barney bailed him out with a homer in the 10th inning for a 4-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.For once, the Cubs could celebrat

BaseballApril 24, 2013

Reds take Cubs 5-4 in 13th

CINCINNATI (AP) ― Reds manager Dusty Baker’s mind was worn out from another long, long game. At least he could smile.The Chicago Cubs? Numb, just like always.Jay Bruce hit a tying double and scored on Cesar Izturis’ two-out single in the 13th inning Monday night, rallying Cincinnati to a 5-4 victory that gave the Cubs their fourth straight loss.The Reds used seven pitchers, 11 position players and one pinch hitter during their latest overtime win, this one lasting 4 hours, 35 minutes.“I’m worn o

BaseballApril 23, 2013

Man United wins 20th title

MANCHESTER (AP) ― With 75,000 delirious Manchester United fans chanting “Champions! Champions!” at full voice, Rio Ferdinand tugged the back of Robin van Persie’s jersey near the forward’s number and shouted: “No. 20! No. 20!”Twenty was the number at Old Trafford on Monday night.Van Persie’s first-half hat trick helped Manchester United produce a performance of style and swagger, a 3-0 victory over Aston Villa that clinched the club’s record 20th English league title with four matches to spare.“

SoccerApril 23, 2013

McDowell wins in playoff at RBC Heritage

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, South Carolina (AP) ― For all the big moments in Graeme McDowell’s career, his resume was short on PGA Tour victories.McDowell relished what he called his first authentic tour win, defeating fellow U.S. Open champ Webb Simpson in a playoff at the RBC Heritage on Sunday.McDowell’s been at the center of some of golf’s biggest moments, from his rousing triumph at Pebble Beach in 2010 to capturing the winning point for Europe in that year’s Ryder Cup matches. He has six European

GolfApril 22, 2013