Francis, Pa, but can return Friday against Boston University. Fowles powered LSU to an early double- digit lead with a putback and an offensive rebound that led to a pair of free throws during a 14- 4 LSU run to open the game She finished with five offensive rebounds in 29 minutes. Rix was on the sideline Saturday with a soft cast on his ankle and said he wasn' t sure when he' ll be able to return " They said I' m ahead of schedule " said Rix, who is out at least another week " I' m focusing on getting back healthy " But whether or not he has the starting job is another matter in the wake of consecutive strong performances by Sexton " I wouldn' t touch that with a 10- foot pole " Bowden said when asked who would start after Rix heals. Preston, the tournament MVP, scored eight points in the first half to help lead the Lions( 2- 0) to a 41- 30 halftime lead. They turned 22 turnovers into 28 points and outscored Vandy inside 44- 30 Carla Thomas led Vanderbilt with 17 points Caroline Williams and Nicole Jules each added 11.

PHILADELPHIA( AP- Ohio State won five straight games with little trouble, but the Buckeyes' sixth straight was more difficult. 18 can do any more " Tiller said " He does a great job and our team is following his talent " Orton, who has 17 TD passes with no interceptions this season, was asked after the game if he thought his performance might help his Heisman Trophy chances " You guys keep bringing up the Heisman I don' t have a vote on that " he said. The report stemmed from a meeting between Gattis, Orange County businessman Richard Knopf, Long Beach Athletic Director Corey Johnson and 49er athletic foundation president Joe Saucedo that took place in January-almost three months before Gonzalves announced he was quitting. The Longhorns were left out last year largely because of a 6- 10 finish in the Big 12 " We' re growing as a team, and each experience has us much better and wiser " Goestenkors said " And when[ Baylor] made a run, we withstood the run, kept our poise, and made a run of our own " Texas won this one with trapping, pressure defense that forced 19 turnovers and stymied Lady Bears point guard Angela Tisdale into a 1- for- 10 shooting night.

A minute later, Auriemma was whistled for a technical foul that charged up the crowd of 7, 390. "I continued to pitch, but I didn't want to rip (the blister open) open" Hershiser said. But the 49ers got back into the game with help from four 3- pointers by Curtis Withers. Latta finished with 21 points on 7- for- 20 shooting with five turnovers. Johnny Gray added 16 points, all in the first half, as the Tigers, an NCAA tournament team the past two seasons, held a 42- 24 advantage at the break. The 72 points marked the most since 1916 by the Redhawks, who led 58- 0 at halftime.

For Robert Morris( 2- 4, Maurice Carter had 30 points and eight rebounds. Toliver, with 11 points, was the main force behind a 26- 4 blitz that made it 75- 32. Myers hit a two-run home run and Robert Wurster added a solo shot for the Lancers, who had already wrapped up the league title last week. Briefly-El Camino 10, Ramona 9 METRO CONFERENCE The record of the Helix High School boys' volleyball team was incorrectly reported in some editions of The Times Friday Helix is 11-6 this year. The Lady Knights trailed 60- 56 after a jumper by Jackie Akers with 11: 21 left UTEP went on a 7- 0 run to extend the lead to 11 UTEP shot 56 percent from the floor. She got up within a neck of us, a head of us, and we stayed the last eighth of a mile like that. Louisiana Tech amassed 22 assists on its 30 field goals, including seven by Daevon Haskins. The Panthers then steadily increased their lead and were up 83- 49 with less than two minutes to play.

Ohio State trailed 32- 31 at halftime of its Big Ten opener, but Davenport scored 16 points after the break and the Buckeyes outlasted Iowa( 9- 6. The state Department of Fish and Game reminds anglers that ocean sportfishing regulations must be observed. The Rams( 9- 7, 5- 2 Colonial Athletic Association, who tied the game when B A. Gearlds was 6- of- 13 from the floor with six assists and Lawless hit 8- of- 11 for the Boilermakers, who snapped a four- game road losing streak. John Shelby extended his National League-high hitting streak to 17 games with a sixth-inning single to left. .

I've seen stuff come flying out of the stands when a guy's rounding third trying to score I mean, it's a tough place to play. Jason Conley led Missouri with 14 points and 13 rebounds, but no one else reached double figures for the Tigers Linas Kleiza, averaging 15 2 points, scored only eight. Juliann Keller scored a career- high 23 points for Montana( 8- 6 overall, 1- 0 league, including a three- point play in overtime to give the Lady Griz a 68- 65 lead with 48 seconds remaining. Kentucky left the bluegrass state to play its opener at Paul Brown Stadium. Svetlana Kovalenko added 16 points and Danielle Kamm had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Marquette. BYU also had runs of 10- 2 and 8- 0 in the second half to put the Wildcats away. Fellow freshman Zac Stacy rushed for 133 yards on 20 attempts.

I said' We need to win it for him " The victory sent Duke into the regional semifinals for the eighth consecutive year, the longest current streak in the nation The Blue Devils will play fifth- seeded Michigan State But it wasn' t an easy trip. Wheeler also had 11 rebounds, leading Arizona to a 45- 43 edge on the glass. If Sheward, a senior setter at Newport Harbor High School, is anything as a volleyball player, he's a housekeeper. Not only did LSU( 4- 2, 2- 2) rebound from an embarrassing 45- 16 loss at Georgia last week, it also overcame a 21- 7 deficit, three turnovers and the loss of starting quarterback JaMarcus Russell against Florida " We had to get humiliated " LSU coach Nick Saban said " Sometimes, especially with young players- just like your puppy dog- you have to rub their nose in it. 9 because the Sports Arena has a long-standing commitment with the Moscow Circus for the arena from Dec 7-11, said Phil Quinn, arena general manager. If she had gone down, it would have change things for us drastically " Stanford is already playing without junior center Kristen Newlin, who has been sidelined with a stress reaction to her left knee since a Dec 4 loss to No 2 Tennessee.