Technical fouls prove costly for Spiders

College basketball: Pierria Henry hit eight free throws in the final five seconds of a wild start to the Atlantic 10 tournament, and Charlotte stunned Richmond 68-63 on Thursday at New York.

The Spiders, who led by 63-60 with 4.7 seconds to go, were called for three technical fouls as the 49ers took the lead from the foul line with the clock stopped.

Richmond had to foul, and when Henry forced up a 3-pointer as he was being grabbed, the referees awarded him three free throws. Spiders coach Chris Mooney was then called for two technicals and ejected.

• Southerland leads Orange over Panthers: James Southerland had a second straight great effort from 3-point range and Michael Carter-Williams scored Syracuse’s last seven points as the 19th-ranked Orange held off No. 17 Pittsburgh 62-59 in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament at New York.

Southerland tallied 20 points, as he did in the win over Seton Hall, and almost all the points came from beyond the 3-point arc.

• Cardinals reach Big East semis: Russ Smith scored 28 points, leading No. 4 Louisville into the Big East tournament semifinals with a 74-55 victory over Villanova at New York.

Luke Hancock added 12 points off the bench for second-seeded Louisville, which has won eight straight. • Notre Dame wins battle of ranked Big East teams: Pat Connaughton scored 18 points on six 3-pointers and Jack Cooley had two big offensive rebounds in Notre Dame’s game-changing run as the 24th-ranked Fighting Irish beat No. 12 Marquette 73-65 to reach the Big East tournament semifinals.

Spurs sweep Mavs, sit atop West standings

NBA: Tim Duncan had 28 points and 19 rebounds and the San Antonio Spurs escaped with a 92-91 home victory over Dallas, sweeping their season series with the Mavericks for the first time in 15 years.

San Antonio has the Western Conference’s top record at 50-16.

• Blazers spoil Felton’s return: Damian Lillard had 26 points and 10 assists to lead the Trail Blazers to a 105-90 home victory over the Knicks, outplaying New York guard Raymond Felton in his return to Portland.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 points and 10 rebounds and Nicolas Batum added 18 points for Portland, where Felton drew the ire of fans during a disappointing stint last season.

Stefani flawless to take lead in Tampa

Golf: Shawn Stefani, a PGA Tour rookie, never came close to making a bogey until his final hole in the Tampa Bay Championship at Palm Harbor, Fla. He rolled in a par putt from just inside 5 feet to complete a 6-under 65 and take a two-shot lead over Brian Harman.

• Miyazato shoots Founders Cup record: Ai Miyazato took the LPGA Founders Cup lead on a hot afternoon in the Phoenix desert, playing a late four-hole stretch in 5 under for a tournament-record 9-under 63.

Wendy Ward (Edwall, Wash.) shot a 3-over 75.

NHL governors approve realignment

NHL: The NHL announced that its board of governors approved a realignment plan that will go into effect next season. The new format will feature two eight-team divisions in the Eastern Conference, and two seven-team divisions in the West.

• Blackhawks return to winning ways: Patrick Kane set up Johnny Oduya’s goal late in the second period and then got the decisive score in the shootout, leading the Chicago Blackhawks to a 2-1 road victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets and ending a two-game losing streak.

• Penguins win seven straight: Pascal Dupuis scored two of Pittsburgh’s three goals in the third period, and the Penguins stormed back on the road to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 and win their seventh game in a row.

Hamlin won’t appeal NASCAR’s $25K fine

Miscellany: Denny Hamlin will not appeal the $25,000 fine levied against him for criticizing the Gen-6 car, and NASCAR will take the money out of his race winnings.

Hamlin announced his decision on Twitter, saying he did not want to drag his Joe Gibbs Racing team through the appeals process but still is refusing to pay the fine.

• Kim wins at World Championships: Kim Yu-na reminded everyone of what they’d been missing, winning the short program in her first appearance at the World Figure Skating Championships at London, Ontario, since 2011.