Thursday's Sports In Brief
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
CLEVELAND (AP) Perfect and pulverizing. Kentucky made West Virginia's press look pathetic.
Trey Lyles scored 14 points, Andrew Harrison added 13 and the unbeaten Wildcats, chasing history and a ninth national title, rolled to a 78-39 victory over the Mountaineers on Thursday night in the Midwest Regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.
The tourney's top seed and an overwhelming favorite to cut down the nets next month in Indianapolis, Kentucky (37-0) advanced to Saturday's regional final to play third-seeded Notre Dame, an 81-70 winner over Wichita State in the other semifinal.
The Fighting Irish may need to call Rudy, consult with Digger Phelps and wake up the echoes from some of those stunning upsets in football and hoops they have pulled off in the past.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Sam Dekker scored a career-high 23 points, Frank Kaminsky added 19 and top-seeded Wisconsin rallied in the final 10 minutes to hold off North Carolina 79-72 Thursday night and advance to the final eight of the NCAA Tournament.
Zak Showalter came off the bench to score six points in the Badgers' 19-7 comeback run that sent them into the West Regional final Saturday against No. 2 seed Arizona, which beat sixth-seeded Xavier, 68-60.
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NCAA
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - NCAA President Mark Emmert says the association is concerned about an Indiana law that could allow businesses to discriminate against gay people.
Emmert says the NCAA is watching to see if it could affect student-athletes and employees. The NCAA is located in Indianapolis and the men's basketball tournament's Final Four will be held there next week.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence on Thursday signed into law a bill that would prohibit state and local laws that ''substantially burden'' the ability of people - including businesses and associations - to follow their religious beliefs.
Emmert released a statement saying the NCAA ''will work diligently to assure student-athletes competing in, and visitors attending the Final Four are not impacted negatively by this bill.''
He added the NCAA intends to examine how the law might affect future events.
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NFL
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Labor leaders say they have resolved a dispute with developers that threatened to delay construction of a proposed 80,000-seat stadium near Los Angeles that could become home for an NFL team.
Earlier this month, labor leaders became alarmed after concluding that certain jobs connected to the nearly $2 billion project backed by St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke might be awarded to non-unionized workers. Labor trouble could make a stadium project less appealing to the NFL and its owners, who ultimately decide on possible team moves.
In a statement Thursday, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor Executive Secretary Rusty Hicks said agreements have been reached on those jobs for the project in Inglewood, about 10 miles from downtown Los Angeles.
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NBA
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The woman who recorded Donald Sterling's racially offensive remarks says she loved him and called him her hubby, but they never had a romance.
V. Stiviano testified Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court in her effort to retain more than $3.5 million the billionaire's wife says he lavished on Stiviano.
Stiviano says she and Sterling vacationed together in Dubai, Paris and Las Vegas, but she never got more intimate than puckering up next to him in photos.
Stiviano says she hates Shelly Sterling, who she described as the evil witch of the west.
Shelly Sterling is seeking money she claims is community property that she and her husband amassed over a 60-year marriage.
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BASEBALL
TOKYO (AP) - Japanese baseball team the Nippon Ham Fighters have been ordered to pay a woman $350,000 in damages after she was hit in the face by a foul ball at Sapporo Dome.
The incident occurred in August 2010 and the woman, who is in her 30s, lost sight in her right eye after being hit by the ball.
Sapporo district court judge Yasuhiro Hasegawa ruled Thursday in favor of the woman, Kyodo news agency reported. The Fighters say they are considering an appeal of the ruling.
The Fighters argued there are sufficient safeguards in place at Sapporo Dome. Baseball stadiums in Japan have protective netting around the field of play, but balls often fly into stands.
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SOCCER
U.S. women's national team goalkeeper Hope Solo says she used her 30-day suspension from the squad to ''reassess my life and career'' and has entered therapy.
Solo launched a personal blog this week to share thoughts about herself and the national team as it prepares for the 2015 World Cup in Canada.
Solo was suspended by U.S. Soccer in January after her husband, former NFL tight end Jerramy Stevens, was arrested on drunken driving charges while driving a federation van. The incident came shortly after domestic violence charges against Solo had been dismissed.
In her first post, Solo also says she is seeing an Eastern medicine healer.
NYON, Switzerland (AP) - Spain's national soccer team will pay tribute to the victims of the French Alps plane crash at its European Championship qualifying match on Friday.
Spain's government has said at least 51 Spaniards were among the 150 victims in Tuesday's crash.
UEFA says it approved the Spanish federation's request ''for a minute's silence and black armbands to be worn.''
Spain, the Euro 2012 champion, hosts Ukraine in Seville.
Germany held a minute's silence before its friendly match against Australia on Wednesday, and both teams wore black armbands.
The Germanwings flight from Barcelona to Duesseldorf, Germany, crashed into a remote mountainside, killing everyone on board.
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GOLF
SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Charley Hoffman took advantage of calmer afternoon conditions to take the first-round lead in the wind-swept Texas Open, shooting a 5-under 67 on Thursday.
After wind gusts threatening 40 mph pummeled the morning starters, Hoffman faced steady 15 mph wind in the afternoon at TPC San Antonio. He had the lone bogey-free round, birdieing Nos. 2, 3, 9, 11 and 17.
The winner last year in Mexico at the start of the wraparound season, Hoffman has eight top-10 finishes in nine appearances in San Antonio.
Aaron Baddeley was second after a 68.
Max Homa had a 69, and Phil Mickelson and Ryan Palmer shot 70.