Sports briefs 1/25/04

Baseball

Free-agent pitcher Ugueth Urbina was arrested for allegedly firing gunshots into the air in an upscale neighborhood in Caracas, Venezuela. Police arrested Urbina early Friday morning for firing a gun out the passenger window of an SUV, Chacao police chief Leonardo Diaz Paruta said in comments published Saturday in El Nacional newspaper. Urbina finished last season as the closer for the World Series champion Florida Marlins.

College

North Carolina State's Philip Rivers passed for 213 yards and directed all the South's scoring drives in a 28-10 victory over the North in the Senior Bowl on Saturday. The nation's top-rated passer was the only quarterback who looked as comfortable with relatively unfamiliar players as his own college teammates in the game, an NFL audition for college seniors. Rivers completed 12 of 19 passes, two for first-quarter touchdowns, to earn Most Valuable Player honors.

Oklahoma forward Kevin Bookout will have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder next week, yet another blow during a rebuilding year for the Sooners. Bookout, a sophomore, made the decision Friday night after meeting with his family and team physicians. The 6-foot-8, 265-pounder, a preseason Wooden Award candidate, severely sprained the shoulder during an October practice and has been hampered by the injury all season. Bookout was averaging 7.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1 blocked shot in 25.6 minutes per game, the second-most on the team.

Tennessee finally found a way to beat a top-ranked team -- and return to the top of women's college basketball. Coach Pat Summitt won in her first trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium, leading the second-ranked Lady Vols past No. 1 Duke 72-69 Saturday. Shyra Ely and Shanna Zolman each scored 15 points for Tennessee (16-1) in its ninth straight win.

Football

The Rams hired Mike Stock as special teams coach. Stock coached special teams the last three seasons with the Washington Redskins. He replaces Bobby April, who wasn't offered a new contract. The Redskins were fifth in the NFC in kickoff returns (22.5 yards) and kickoff return coverage (20.6 yards). Chad Morton ranked sixth in the NFC with a 23.4-yard return average. Stock has 39 years of coaching experience, 14 in the NFL. He also was special teams coach for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1995 to 2000.

Tennis

Fourth-seeded Amelie Mauresmo became the first player to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals, beating Alicia Molik 7-5, 7-5. The Frenchwoman struggled to beat Molik, an Australian ranked 40th in the world, after losing only six games and spending less than three hours on court in the first three rounds.

-- From wire reports