In brief: Ducks let Kent go after 13 years at helm

College men: Ernie Kent, the winningest coach in Oregon history, was dismissed after 13 seasons with his alma mater.

Oregon went 16-16 overall and 7-11 in the Pac-10 this past season, finishing with a 90-74 quarterfinal loss to California in the conference tournament.

Kent, 55, leaves Oregon with a 235-173 overall record. But the Ducks have slipped in the past two seasons, going 24-39 and finishing 10th and ninth, respectively, in conference play.

Kent was the longest-tenured Pac-10 coach. He took Oregon to the NCAA tournament five times, advancing twice to the round of eight.

He played at Oregon from 1973-77, part of the so-called Kamakazi Kids under coach Dick Harter.

•Wolfpack leave it for late: Dennis Horner scored 25 points and Richard Howell’s go-ahead layup with 8 seconds left barely beat the shot clock for the Wolfpack as North Carolina State (20-15) held off South Florida 58-57 in Tampa, Fla.

South Florida (20-13) star Dominiques Jones had a look for a last shot, but passed it to Chris Howard, who then passed it to Augustus Gilchrist, who put up an airball.

In other NIT action, Ben Smith scored a game-high 26 points, including a 24-foot jump shot with 1.5 seconds remaining, and Jacksonville (20-12) rallied to upset top-seeded Arizona State (22-11) 67-66 in Tempe, Ariz.

Jerome Dyson scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half and Connecticut (18-15) hung on 59-57 to beat Northeastern (20-13) at Storrs, Conn.

UAB (24-8) never trailed Coastal Carolina (28-7), winning 65-49 in Birmingham, Ala.

Texas Tech (18-15) outlasted Seton Hall (19-13) 87-69 in Newark, N.J.

Dexter Strickland hit the go-ahead free throws with 2:34 left to lead North Carolina (17-16) over William & Mary (22-11) 80-72 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Jarvis Varnado had 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead Mississippi State (24-11) to an 81-67 win over Jackson State (19-13) in Starkville, Miss.

•Thomas has injured hand: Doctors have told Washington catalyst Isaiah Thomas he probably has a broken bone in his shooting hand.

The Huskies’ point guard and second-leading scorer said that trainers are trying to make a thinner, less-bulky glove for him to wear for Thursday’s NCAA tournament game.

Seahawks trade DT Tapp to Eagles

NFL: The Philadelphia Eagles acquired defensive end Darryl Tapp from Seattle in exchange for defensive end Chris Clemons and the Eagles’ fourth-round choice in next month’s draft.

Originally a second-round draft pick by Seattle in 2006, Tapp has 18 sacks, two interceptions, eight forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 65 games. He had four sacks in a game against St. Louis in 2007.

•Roethlisberger not yet questioned: An attorney for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger says the two-time Super Bowl winner has yet to meet with Georgia authorities who are investigating a sexual assault allegation made against him by a 20-year-old college student.

The student told police that Roethlisberger, who had been barhopping with friends, assaulted her at a nightclub in Milledgeville.

Achilles injury sidelines Beckham

Soccer: David Beckham was back on his feet and walking on crutches after surgery to repair the torn Achilles tendon that will sideline him for about six months.

The 34-year-old former England captain “feels fine and is happy” as he recuperates from Monday’s operation at a private clinic in Finland.

Beckham was injured in the closing minutes of AC Milan’s 1-0 win over Chievo Verona on Sunday.

Suns rip Minnesota defense for 152 points

NBA: Jason Richardson scored 27 points and Amare Stoudemire added 25, then sat with the rest of the Phoenix starters while the reserves finished off a 152-114 home rout of Minnesota in the highest- scoring game this season.

Cowgirls’ Riley to sit out NCAA opener

College women: Andrea Riley, the nation’s third-leading scorer, will serve a one-game suspension during the No. 20 Oklahoma State Cowgirls’ first-round game against Chattanooga (24-8) on Saturday night in the NCAA tournament.

Riley was suspended after taking a swipe at LSU’s Erica White during a tournament game two years ago.