Sports briefs 4/1/05

Basketball

n Chicago Bulls center Eddy Curry was treated Thursday for an irregular heartbeat after staying behind in Charlotte and missing his team's game against Cleveland.

Curry was not scheduled to return to Chicago until Friday when he is expected to be examined by Bulls' team doctors.

"You wouldn't be human if you weren't worried about it," Bulls coach Scott Skiles. "He'll be re-examined tomorrow, so we'll just have to wait and see."

Curry, 22, warmed up for Wednesday night's game -- which the Bulls won 102-99 -- but was a late scratch for what was listed as flu-like symptoms.

The Chicago Tribune reported that Curry spent the game hooked up to a heart monitor having tests performed.

* Philadelphia 76ers forward Chris Webber will miss seven to 10 days after spraining his left shoulder against the Phoenix Suns, the team said Thursday.

Webber was injured Wednesday night in the first half of Phoenix's 116-87 win over the 76ers.

College

* A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a pair of lawsuits filed against the University of Colorado by two women who say they were raped by football players or recruits in a case that ignited a recruiting scandal at the state's flagship school.

After months of court filings and hearings, U.S. District Robert Blackburn said the two women had failed to meet two key criteria in claiming the school violated federal Title IX law by fostering an atmosphere that led to their alleged assaults.

Specifically, the judge said Lisa Simpson and the other woman had failed to prove the university had actual knowledge of sexual harassment of female students by football players and recruits as part of the football recruiting program. Blackburn also said they didn't show the school was deliberately indifferent to any known sexual harassment.

* Detroit Pistons coach Larry Brown returned to Thursday, and will be on the bench today against the Los Angeles Clippers after a 10-game absence.

Brown has been unable to coach since undergoing a procedure related to hip surgery, which caused him to miss six games in November.

Football

* St. Louis Rams defensive lineman Leonard Little failed several field sobriety tests when stopped for speeding a year ago and refused to be chemically tested for alcohol after he was taken into custody, a prosecutor told jurors Thursday.

The contention by Mark Bishop, an assistant St. Louis County prosecutor, was supported by the arresting officer's testimony later in the day. Ladue Police Officer Gregory Stork said Little "was intoxicated. There's no doubt in my mind."

Scott Rosenblum, Little's attorney, countered that his client should be cleared, arguing among other things that the sobriety tests were flawed.

Little is charged with speeding and felony drunk driving as a persistent offender. In 1999, Little pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of Susan Gutweiler, 47, of Oakville, in a crash in downtown St. Louis.

In that case, Little's blood-alcohol level was nearly twice Missouri's legal limit. Little later served three months in jail, four years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service. He also was suspended without pay for the first half of the 1999 season.

If convicted of the DWI charge, Little -- a Pro Bowl selection in 2003 -- could face up to four years in prison and another NFL suspension.

Football

The rainy weather that has plagued the PGA tour this season struck again Thursday, washing out the opening round of the BellSouth Classic.

So far this season, eight of the 14 tournaments have been affected by the weather, including last week's Players Championship, which was delayed by storms on five occasions and didn't finish until Monday.

Tennis

Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams reached a crescendo in the final game, swapping shrieks that accompanied their shots in a series of furious exchanges.

Sharapova was a little louder and a bit better.

Holding her ground and her serve when Williams mounted a comeback, Sharapova erased six break points to close out a 6-4, 6-3 victory Thursday in the semifinals of the Nasdaq-100 Open.

Top-ranked Roger Federer and six-time champion Andre Agassi advanced to a semifinal showdown Friday night. Federer, bidding for his first Key Biscayne title, beat No. 6 Tim Henman 6-4, 6-2. Agassi, seeded ninth, won the final eight games to defeat Taylor Dent 7-5, 6-0.