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By Elaine Thompson, AP Sports Run-stingy: The Mariners hope Jarrod Washburn shores up a rotation noted for high ERAs. SECTION C Exclusively at Mariners get new arm, new attitude Monday, March 27, 2006 Washburn, leading by example, expected to bolster Seattle, 10C mobileespn.com 1.800.GET.ESPN Sportsline

Basketball/NBA m12C Indiana 92, Philadelphia 79 Milwaukee 125, Toronto 116 (OT) Minnesota 98, New York 94 Chicago 101, Boston 97 Memphis 102, Charlotte 95 Cleveland 104, Houston 102 (OT) Orlando 108, Atlanta 101 New Jersey 79, Detroit 74 Seattle 106, San Antonio 102 Golden State 90, Sacramento 83 L.A. Clippers 97, Portland 83 L.A. Lakers 105, New Orleans 94 NCAA Men’s Tournament m3-4, 6-8C Washington Regional Minneapolis Regional 11-George Mason 86, 1-Conn.84 (OT) 3-Florida 75, 1-Villanova 62 NCAA Women’s Tournament m8C Cleveland Regional Bridgeport Regional 1-North Carolina 70, 4-Purdue 68 1-Duke 86, 4-Michigan State 61 2-Tennessee 76, 3-Rutgers 69 2-Connecticut 77, 3-Georgia 75 Hockey/NHL m14C Dallas 3, Calgary 2 San Jose 5, Chicago 4 (OT) Montreal 6, Pittsburgh 5 Toronto 4, New Jersey 3 Edmonton 4, Colorado 3 (SO)

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Wisconsin women win NCAA hockey title In Minneapolis, Jessie Vetter and Jinelle Zaugg teamed Sunday to help Wisconsin win its first NCAA women’s hockey title. Vetter made 32 saves for her second shutout in the Frozen Four and Zaugg had two power- play goals in a 3-0 vic- tory against host and two-time defending champion Minnesota. Vetter, who defeated St. Lawrence 1-0 in the semifinals Friday, was se- lected the tournament’s most valuable player. She finished the season with five shutouts. By H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY With the win, the Bad- Shining moment: George Mason’s Lamar Butler, right, shares a post-victory embrace with his father, Lamar, just miles from his hometown of Fort Washington, Md. By Jim Mone, AP gers (36-4-1) claimed Winners: Nikki Burish the school’s first NCAA hoists the NCAA trophy. women’s title since 1985 (cross country). Minnesota (29-11-1) went 1-5 against Wisconsin this season. The Gophers held a decided edge in shots on goal, Cinderella men dance on especially in the third period when they outshot the Badgers 14-4. The Final Four in Indianapolis George Mason pulls Kurt Busch captures Food City 500 title mTalk of the tournament, 3C New team, new car, same results for Kurt Busch at mFull-page bracket, 4C George Mason (27-7) UCLA (31-6) Bristol Motor Speedway. Busch brashly bumped Matt m vs. Florida (31-6) vs. LSU (27-8) stunner of stunners Kenseth — his former teammate — out of his way with Saraceno: George Mason is a By Erik Brady four laps remaining Sunday and went on to win the fairy tale with legs, 6C 6:07 p.m. Saturday, CBS 8:47 p.m. Saturday, CBS USA TODAY NASCAR Nextel Cup Food City 500, his fifth victory in mWomen’s regionals, 8C the last nine races on the half-mile track. WASHINGTON — George Mason University, the out- uFans watch bumping during, after race, 11C Unlikely collection gets together side-the-Beltway outsider turned belle of the ball, is uKenseth takes points lead; Cup standings, 11C The men’s Final Four this uThe combined seeds total going to the Final Four. And at this point, four wins into Bowler Williams ties tour’s victory mark coming weekend in the RCA is 20 (adding a No. 2, 3, 4, 11). what could become the most incredible run in NCAA Dome will be unusual for more That’s the third highest, behind men’s basketball tournament history, it’s clear the Pa- Walter Ray Williams Jr. tied the late Earl Anthony for reasons than just George Ma- 2000 (22) and 1980 (21). triots can win it. the PBA Tour victory record Sunday, beating Pete We- son’s inclusion: uFor the first time since “We’re not going just to go,” guard La- ber 236-213 in the Denny’s World Championship final uFor the first time since 1975, the Final Four will not mar Butler said in the on-court bedlam Cover in Indianapolis. Williams, 46, earned $100,000 and a 1980 and the second since the have a team from the Atlantic moments after his Patriots beat Con- four-year exemption in winning his 41st PBA tourna- NCAA began seeding the tour- Coast, Big Ten, Big East or Big necticut 86-84 in overtime Sunday in story ment. Beginning with the second frame, Williams nament in 1979, no No. 1 12 (includes Big Eight/South- the Washington, D.C., Regional final. “We rolled four consecutive strikes and Weber struggled to seeds are in the Final Four. west) conferences. can win. We know we can win. Everybody is surprised make spares. Williams was leading 129-94 when We- by us except us.” ber’s first throw in the seventh frame left a 7-10 split. Just ask top-seeded Connecticut, which was the fa- Weber picked up the seven pin with his second ball Comparing Mason with the field vorite to win the tournament before it began — while but didn’t come close to getting the 10. Weber, who George George Mason was barely noticed, except by some had one strike in the first seven frames as he tried for a LSU UCLA Florida Mason critics who thought the Patriots were not worthy of record-tying eighth career major, finished with four Final Four appearance 4th 16th 3rd 1st their at-large bid. strikes, but by then Williams was safely ahead. NCAA tournament appearance 19th 40th 13th 4th Sunday’s game was played 22 miles from George NCAA tournament wins 23 89 21 4 Mason’s campus in the Virginia suburbs, and a mostly Duke cancels lacrosse games amid probe Average home attendance (2006) 9,469 8,895 10,851 4,532 green-and-gold-clad crowd lapped up every improb- The Duke men’s lacrosse team will cancel its second First year as major college program 1908 1919 1915 1978 able moment. The fans screamed and urged and be- game Tuesday while a police investigation continues seeched their team at every gut-wrenching turn. into accusations of rape and assault during a party at a Improbable runs to the Final Four And when it was over, as coach Jim Larranaga cut house where some Blue Devils players live. No arrests the net, twirled it in the air, then wore it around his had been made after 46 members of the team sub- No. 9 seed Penn No. 11 LSU No. 11 Mason neck, they stood and cheered and believed. Some mitted DNA samples to Durham, N.C., police, authori- 1979 1986 2006 wore yellow shirts with two words in green block let- ties said. The accuser said the assault took place in the Quakers beat No. 1 The Tigers won in Beat the last two ters: “Cinderella Story.” early hours of March 14 near Duke’s East Campus. She By Charlie Neibergall, AP seed UNC, Syracuse double-overtime, national champions LSU, in 1986, is the only other No. 11 seed to reach described herself as a dancer and said she thought she Moving on: Joakim Noah, Florida grabbed and St. John’s after by two points twice (North Carolina, the Final Four. No low-profile program has gone to the would be dancing for five men at a bachelor party but a Final Four spot by beating Villanova. topping Iona. and six points. Connecticut). instead she and another woman were surrounded by Please see COVER STORY next page u dozens. Men shouted racial slurs at the women, both black, she said in an interview with The News & Ob- server of Raleigh, N.C. The newspaper also quoted Ames easily wins TPC, court documents saying the woman claims she was IRL rookie pulled into a bathroom by three men and beaten and sexually assaulted. The team forfeited Saturday’s game might spurn Masters against Georgetown and will not play Tuesday against Dana dies Mount St. Mary’s. for trip with family uSchool president takes stand, 8C in collision By Tom Spousta Compiled from staff and wire reports USA TODAY

Carpenter survives PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Stephen Ames’ vic- Relive Sunday’s key moments and check out tory in The Players Championship offered little sus- the day’s most captivating images in our Day in impact at 200 mph pense as he tamed a treacherous TPC at Sawgrass Sta- Sports photo gallery at sports.usatoday.com dium Course and dusted golf’s toughest field by six By A.J. Perez strokes Sunday. ® USA TODAY So Ames created some afterward, saying he might USA TODAY Snapshots go on a planned two-week vacation with his family HOMESTEAD, Fla. — IRL IndyCar rather than play The Masters on April 6-9. Along with Olympic athletes seek Series rookie Paul Dana died after a the $1.44 million check, he received a three-year ex- medical attention two-car collision early in the emption into The Masters and British Open and a one- Almost 600 medical imaging exams warm-up for the season-opening ABC via CNN year pass into the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. were performed on athletes at the Toyota Indy 300 at Homestead-Mi- Deadly moment: Television images show Paul Dana’s race car, appear- “My priorities have always been my family first,” he Winter Olympics in Torino. Imaging ami Speedway on Sunday. ing as a blur at right, hitting Ed Carpenter’s car during a practice session. said. “I’m going to have to cut my kids’ spring break exams performed: Dana’s car hit the car of Ed Car- short . . . going to play another golf tournament. Obvi- penter, who had spun out seconds “Obviously, this is a very black caution. The handful of cars in front ously, I’ve got to sit down and talk to them about it.” Medical X-rays before, at an estimated 200 mph at day for us,” said Bobby Rahal, the of Dana slowed, but Dana’s car con- Ames fired a 5-under-par 67 to finish at 14-under 393 Turn 2. Dana, 30, was transported principal owner for Dana’s team. tinued on its rapid pace. “There was 274. Retief Goosen shot 69 and was the only player MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) via helicopter to Miami’s Jackson “This is a great tragedy.” no problem with communication,” among the world’s top 10 to make a run. 78 Memorial Hospital, where he was Rahal Letterman Racing’s two Rahal said. “The spotter made (Da- Rookie Camilo Villegas (71) would gladly trade Ultrasound pronounced dead before noon, IRL other cars — driven by Danica Pat- na) clear of the incident.” places with Ames and book an immediate trip to Au- 75 President Brian Barnhart an- rick and Buddy Rice — were with- Five or six other cars avoided gusta National. But Villegas finished in a four-way tie Dental X-rays nounced. Barnhart said Dana died drawn before the race as a tribute Carpenter, and about six seconds for third at 5 under, earning a paycheck that lifted him 41 of multiple traumas. to Dana. passed before Dana made impact. to 11th on the PGA Tour money list, one spot and CAT scans (computed Carpenter, taken by helicopter to The accident occurred two min- Dana is the third IRL driver to die on $94,971 shy of a Masters invitation. “I gave it my best,” 9 tomography) the same hospital, was to be kept utes into the practice session, a racetrack. He’s survived by his Villegas said. “It’s my first year out here, and I’ve got overnight for observation. An IRL which began at 10 a.m. ET. Car- wife, Tonya. nothing to complain about.” Source: Eastman Kodak Company spokesman said Carpenter’s MRI penter’s Vision Racing entry spun By Ellen J. Horrow and Alejandro Gonzalez, USA TODAY exam and X-rays were negative. and hit the wall, bringing out the uEmotional day for drivers, 11C uAmes conquers golf’s best, 10C

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