Sports

Briefs

Woman loses in PBA final

By wire services
Published March 21, 2005

---

WYOMING, Mich. - Liz Johnson made bowling history Sunday afternoon, but still was disappointed.

Johnson, 30, became the first woman to advance to the championship match of a Professional Bowlers Association Tour event, but she lost by 27 pins to Tommy Jones in the final of the Banquet Open at Spectrum Lanes.

"There is a slight bit of disappointment because I don't like to lose, but I made it to the finals as a player and as the first female," Johnson said. "I made the big show. I have to be proud of myself for that."

Johnson spent eight seasons on the women's tour, winning 11 events, including the 1996 U.S. Open as a rookie. She made history Thursday by becoming the first woman to reach the round of 32 in a PBA event. In the semifinals she defeated Wes Malott by seven pins.

TENNIS

Federer cruises to title

Top-ranked Roger Federer had every part of his game working in beating No.2 Lleyton Hewitt 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 in Indian Wells, Calif., to defend his Pacific Life Open title. Federer, on a roll that has carried him to 42 wins in 43 matches, hit powerful, accurate groundstrokes and mixed in winning volleys, drop shots and the occasional overhead.

RUNNING

Two doubles for Ethiopia

Kenenisa Bekele completed an unprecedented fourth straight long-short course double at the world cross-country championships in Saint-Galmier, France, a day after winning the 12-kilometer race. Bekele, 22, who nearly skipped the event because of the recent death of his 19-year-old fiancee, won the long-course title in 35 minutes, 6 seconds. His fiancee, Alem Techale , died in January from an apparent heart attack during a training run. Fellow Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba also pulled off a double, taking the 4K in 13:15 a day after winning the 8K.

MARATHON: Kenyan Charles Kibiwot won the inaugural Knoxville (Tenn.) event in 2:22:54 and qualified for the 2006 Boston Marathon.

WINTER SPORTS

World fly record set

Norway's Bjoern Einar Romoeren set a world ski flying record for a second time, leaping about 784 feet to win a World Cup event in Planica, Slovenia. Janne Ahonen , who already had clinched the season title, finished sixth.

ELSEWHERE: American Toby Dawson and Canadian Jennifer Heil won the final dual moguls events at the freestyle world championships in Ruka, Finland. ... World champion Norway won the final men's 40K cross-country relay, beating Italy by 0.4 seconds in Falun, Sweden.

BOXING

Morales wins decision

Erik Morales (48-2) won a close but unanimous decision over Manny Pacquiao in a 130-pound bout late Saturday in Las Vegas. Pacquiao (39-3-2) was cut in the fifth round when he was hit with a right hand and the boxers clashed heads. Also, Martin Castillo (28-1) retained his WBA 115-pound title with a unanimous decision over Eric Morel (35-2).

U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS: Olympian Rau'Shee Warren , who moved from the 106-pound class to 112 this year, stopped Aaron Alafa 32 seconds into the third of four rounds to win the final in Colorado Springs. Warren's training partner, Mark Davis , won a 16-5 decision over Richard Baltazar at 125.

SOCCER

Liverpool tops rival

Liverpool beat Everton 2-1 on first-half goals by Steven Gerrard and Luis Garcia , moving within four points of its fourth-place crosstown rival in the English Premier League.

SCOTTISH LEAGUE CUP: Rangers won the final 5-1 over Motherwell as Sotiris Kyrgiakos scored twice.

ET CETERA

HORSES: Lilah beat Forty Moves by 3 lengths in the $100,000 Hurricane Bertie Handicap for fillies and mares at Gulfstream Park.

[Last modified March 21, 2005, 01:50:19]

[an error occurred while processing this directive]