Cincinnati, Xavier players suspended for brawl

Cincinnati forward Yancy Gates received a six-game suspension Sunday for throwing punches at players for No. 8 Xavier, and seven other players were disciplined for their roles in a brawl that ended the annual crosstown rivalry game Saturday.

Four Bearcats and four Musketeers were suspended in all. Three Cincinnati players received six-game suspensions, the longest of those handed out.

Gates punched Xavier’s Kenny Frease in the face, causing a nasty gash below his left eye, and hit at least one other Musketeer during the fracas, which prompted the referees to call the game with 9.4 seconds left and Xavier winning, 76-53.

The Bearcats also gave Cheikh Mbodj and Octavius Ellis six-game suspensions. Ge’Lawn Guyn was suspended for one game.

Xavier suspended point guard Tu Holloway for one game, guard Mark Lyons for two, and Dez Wells and Landen Amos for four games each.

ETC.

Donald makes golf history in Dubai

Luke Donald became the first golfer to win the PGA Tour and European Tour money titles, finishing third in the Dubai World Championship behind winner Alvaro Quiros.

Quiros made a 40-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole for a two-shot victory over 1999 British Open champion Paul Lawrie in the United Arab Emirates.

The top-ranked Donald, who won the PGA title this year, had to finish better than ninth or hope Rory McIlroy didn’t win the tournament. McIlroy, weakened by a virus all week, tied for 11th. That left McIlroy more than $1.34 million behind Donald in the money race.

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PGA champion Keegan Bradley and Brendan Steele shot a 13-under 59 in scramble play to become the first PGA Tour rookies to win the Franklin Templeton Shootout.

Bradley and Steele took control with an eagle by Steele on No. 14 and a birdie on No. 15, finishing at 32-under 184 for a three-stroke victory over two teams at Naples, Fla.

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Joe Paterno fractured his pelvis again in a fall at his home but will not need surgery, a person close to the family told the Associated Press.

The former Penn State football coach was expected to make a full recovery after slipping Saturday and was admitted to the hospital the next day, the person added. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

Paterno, who turns 85 on Dec. 21, is also undergoing radiation and chemotherapy for what his family has said is a treatable form of lung cancer. Son Scott Paterno has said doctors are optimistic about a full recovery from the illness.

Paterno initially hurt his pelvis in August after he was blindsided on the field during preseason practice. It was determined Paterno should remain in the hospital now to facilitate his regimen of cancer treatments while recovering from the pelvis injury, the AP was told.

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After trailing, 2-1, in the match, the USC women’s volleyball team rallied to defeat Pepperdine, 3-2, and won the NCAA Honolulu Regional late Saturday.

The seventh-seeded Trojans beat the 15th-seeded Waves, 25-16, 26-28, 19-25, 25-19, 15-10. USC advances to the Final Four this weekend at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

USC (29-4) will face third-seeded Illinois in a national semifinal. UCLA will play Florida State in the other semifinal.

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Ben Speas lofted a 25-yard shot over goalkeeper Klay Davis midway through the second half to give North Carolina a 1-0 victory over Charlotte in the NCAA soccer championship at Hoover, Ala.

The Tar Heels earned their first men’s soccer title in 10 years. They lost in the semifinals each of the previous two seasons.

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World champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States won the ice dance at the ISU Grand Prix Final in Quebec City.

The Americans Johann Strauss scored 112.38 points in the free dance for a total of 188.55.