In brief: Kentucky first to 2,000 NCAA wins
Men’s basketball: Kentucky’s 2,000th victory looked awfully familiar.
DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson scored 18 points apiece and the third-ranked Wildcats became the first team in NCAA history to reach the 2,000-win plateau with an 88-44 romp over Drexel on Monday night.
Kentucky improved to 2,000-635-1 in 107 seasons. North Carolina is next on the list with 1,992 wins while Kansas has 1,980.
UConn women No. 1 for 31st straight week
Women’s basketball: Geno Auriemma and his unbeaten Connecticut Huskies are No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 for the 31st straight week, surpassing the school record set from 1999-2001.
UConn received all 40 first-place votes from the national media panel and moved within five of the all-time record of 36 consecutive weeks at No. 1 set by Louisiana Tech from 1980-82.
The Huskies face No. 2 Stanford on Wednesday in Hartford.
Brodeur sets NHL shutout record
NHL: Martin Brodeur broke the NHL record with his 104th career shutout, and maybe the only surprise was how easily it came against the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
Brodeur made 35 saves on the way to breaking Terry Sawchuk’s shutout record, further strengthening his case to be considered as the best goaltender to play the game, and the streaking New Jersey Devils had little trouble beating Pittsburgh 4-0 Monday night.
•Bergeron leads Canadiens to OT win: Marc-Andre Bergeron scored late in the third period to tie it, then again in overtime to give the Montreal Canadiens a 4-3 win over the Thrashers in Atlanta.
•Sabres bag Leafs in OT: Derek Roy scored 3:35 into overtime and Ryan Miller made 34 saves to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 win over the Maple Leafs in Toronto.
Suns eclipsed by James, Cavaliers
NBA: LeBron James and Mo Williams led a 15-0 fourth-quarter run and the Cleveland Cavaliers went on to hand the Phoenix Suns their first home loss of the season, 109-91.
James scored 29 and Williams 24 for the Cavs.
Steve Nash had 18 points and 10 assists for Phoenix.
•Bogut, Bucks bounce Pacers: Andrew Bogut scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to an 84-81 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis.
Rookie guard Brandon Jennings had 16 points and six assists and Michael Redd scored 14 for the Bucks, who snapped a three-game skid and won their first road game since Nov. 21.
Police still probing Henry’s death
NFL: The investigation into the death of Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry carried into its sixth day without a resolution on whether his fiancee will be charged.
Henry died Thursday from massive head injuries, a day after falling out of the back of a pickup truck driven by his fiancee, Loleini Tonga. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police described the incident as a domestic dispute.
“There is nothing new to report. She hasn’t been criminally charged in his death, nor has she been cited for any traffic violations,” police spokesman Robert Fey said Monday.
Henry’s funeral is scheduled for today in Louisiana.
Three USC players ruled ineligible
College football: Southern California announced that tight end Anthony McCoy and tackle Tyron Smith, both starters, and defensive end Averell Spicer, a key reserve, will not play in the Emerald Bowl against Boston College Dec. 26th in San Francisco.
McCoy and Spicer are seniors. Smith is a sophomore.
MLB, umpires near deal on new contract
Baseball: Major League Baseball and its umpires are nearing agreement on a new contract, two people familiar with the negotiations said.
The deal could be reached as soon as today, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcements were authorized.