Sports in brief: Stuckey leads Pistons past Wizards

Basketball: Rodney Stuckey (EWU) scored 25 points and Charlie Villanueva added 18 as the Detroit Pistons beat the Washington Wizards 98-94 Sunday night in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Will Bynum scored 16 points for Detroit, which led by as many as 12 in the first half before Washington pulled to 52-49 on Earl Boykins’ leaning jumper at the halftime buzzer.

The Wizards pulled even several times in the third quarter, but rookie Austin Daye (Gonzaga) hit three key jumpers to move Detroit back in front. The 6-foot-11 Daye, playing shooting guard with Stuckey in foul trouble, had seven points in the period as the Pistons took a 71-69 lead into the fourth.

Another Daye basket made it 77-69 with eight minutes left, and after Boykins hit a 3-pointer, Villanueva answered with a four-point play to give Detroit a nine-point lead.

•Iverson should start for 76ers: Allen Iverson practiced with the Philadelphia 76ers for the first time in three years and is expected to start when they play tonight against Denver.

Iverson practiced with the first team of Elton Brand, Samuel Dalembert, Thaddeus Young and Willie Green on Sunday. Leading scorer Andre Iguodala did not practice with a sore right ankle.

Iverson was back in a 76ers practice jersey for the first time since they traded him in 2006. Coach Eddie Jordan expects Iverson to start against the Nuggets.

Iverson’s second stint won’t look much different from when he left the first time. The Sixers are 5-15 and have lost nine straight games. When the Sixers traded him on Dec. 19, 2006, they were 5-18 and on an 11-game losing streak.

Iverson posted the highest scoring average in Sixers history (28.1), was second on the points list (19,583) and holds the record for 3-pointers (877). He was a seven-time All-Star, won two All-Star game MVPs and was NBA MVP when he led the Sixers to the NBA Finals in 2001.

•Nets’ Yi needs stitches to close cut lip: Injured New Jersey Nets forward Yi Jianlian is expected to miss at least another week after needing 50 stitches to close a cut upper lip.

Yi was hoping to return Sunday after missing 15 games with a sprained right knee before he was inadvertently elbowed by teammate Sean Williams while playing 3-on-3 after practice Saturday.

•Donaghy says he didn’t influence games: Disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy said on CBS’ “60 Minutes” he refused to make calls to affect games even if it meant he lost money and it angered the mob.

In one game where he bet on San Antonio, he ejected coach Gregg Popovich midway through the first quarter and the Spurs eventually lost the game.

Donaghy insisted he made wagers on NBA games based on his knowledge of other officials’ biases for and against certain players and teams, and that his officiating was not compromised — a claim that was backed up by the FBI.

He claims he was winning 75 percent of the time, which drew the attention of the mob, which he said threatened his family to ensure he provided his insider picks to inform betting on games.

His connection with the mob caught the attention of the FBI, which overheard something on a wiretap that led them to believe an NBA referee may be involved. After he was caught, Donaghy said he cooperated with investigators because he believed it was in his and his family’s best interests.

•Kansas holds off UCLA on the road: Markief Morris scored a career-high 19 points and No. 1 Kansas pulled away in the second half to beat UCLA 73-61, sending the Bruins to their fourth consecutive loss.

Xavier Henry added 16 points and Sherron Collins had 14 for the Jayhawks (7-0), who led the entire game but allowed UCLA to get within four early in the second half.

•Bjorklund takes Lady Vols over Texas: Angie Bjorklund (University HS) had 15 points and No. 6 Tennessee cruised to a 78-58 victory over No. 17 Texas in Knoxville, Tenn.

The Lady Volunteers (7-0) limited the Longhorns (5-3) to 30 percent shooting from the field, the lowest figure by any opponent this season. Tennessee shot 52.5 percent.

Brittainey Raven led Texas with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Merritt tops PGA Q-school leaderboard

Golf: Troy Merritt had a three-stroke lead over former Boise State teammate Graham Delaet when fifth-round play in the rain-delayed PGA Tour qualifying tournament was suspended for the day because of darkness in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Merritt, the Mexico Open winner this year on the Nationwide Tour, was 1 over through 12 holes on the Links at Bear Lakes Country Club and 18 under overall.

The top 25 finishers and ties after the six-round tournament will earn cards for 2010, with roughly 50 more earning fully exempt status for the Nationwide Tour.

•Skarpnord leads LPGA Q-school: Norway’s Marianne Skarpnord shot a 2-under 70 on the Champions Course to take a one-stroke lead over Nicole Jeray and Amanda Blumenherst after the fourth round of the LPGA Tour qualifying tournament in Dayton Beach, Fla.

The final top 20 will earn Priority List Category 11 playing privileges. Players finishing 21st through 30th will be placed in Category 16, and Nos. 31-40 in Category 20.

International Baseball Fed. gets new chief

Miscellany: Riccardo Fraccari of Italy has been elected president of the International Baseball Federation during its weeklong meetings.

Fraccari replaces Dr. Harvey W. Schiller, who has led the organization since 2007. Fraccari ran for the office unopposed and vowed to build better relationships with the world’s top professional leagues.

•Weis apologizes for Carroll comments: Charlie Weis has apologized to Southern California coach Pete Carroll for comments that he says were taken out of context in a recent interview.

In an interview transcript posted on IrishIllustrated.com Saturday, the former Notre Dame coach was quoted interrupting a question featuring Carroll’s name with a lengthy answer that suggested Carroll doesn’t live with his wife, yet the media never mention it.

Weis later said his comments were meant to be general statements about false Internet rumors and their impact on coaches’ lives.

Weis called Carroll to apologize, saying his words were represented incorrectly.

•Toroitich, Rotich win Las Vegas Marathon: Kenyan runners Christopher Toroitich and Caroline Rotich won the Las Vegas Marathon, topping a field of more than 27,600 on a frigid morning in the desert.

Toroitich finished in 2 hours, 15 minutes, 15 second.

Rotich crossed in 2:29:47 to win the women’s race by 18 seconds.