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SPORTS BRIEFING

Denman set for semis

INDIANA, Pa. — Former Blackhawk High School standout Halle Denman is a senior starting guard for the Indiana (Pa.) University women’s basketball team that will play in the NCAA Division II national semifinals for the first time tonight.

Denman, who wears No. 23, has started all 33 games for the Crimson Hawks this season, averaging 4.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals in 29.4 minutes per game. She is shooting 70.5 percent from the foul line.

Indiana (Pa.) reached the Elite Eight for the second time in school history and defeated Stonehill (Mass.), 75-71, on Monday in front of 290 at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The Crimson Hawks have a school-best 30-3 record and will play top-ranked Ashland (35-0) in the semifinals at 9:30 p.m. today. The game will be televised live on CBS Sports Network.

Women average 5,067 fans

NEW YORK (AP) — Attendance for the first two rounds of the women’s NCAA Tournament is the highest in a decade, with an average of 5,067 fans taking in the first 48 games.

Defending champion South Carolina led the way with 11,085 fans in the Gamecocks’ opening-round win. SEC rival Mississippi State followed with 10,211 in the opener on its home court.

The NCAA provide the numbers on Tuesday.

NCAA basketball officials are hoping for more strong numbers at the regionals this weekend in Albany, New York; Kansas City, Missouri; Spokane, Washington; and Lexington, Kentucky. Albany has already sold nearly 7,600 tickets.

Last season’s regionals were at a 20-year low for attendance.

The Final Four is at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Stevens leads Penn State

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Lamar Stevens tied his career high with 30 points, Tony Carr added 25 and Penn State beat Marquette 85-80 on Tuesday to advance to the NIT semifinals.

The Nittany Lions (24-13) will face either Mississippi State or Louisville at Madison Square Garden in New York on March 27. They advanced to the NIT semis for the first time since winning the 2009 tournament.

Stevens hit three crucial buckets in the final three minutes.

Islanders pull away from Pens

NEW YORK (AP) — Mathew Barzal and Adam Pelech scored in the first period and the New York Islanders went on to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 on Tuesday night.

Anders Lee had a goal in the third period and Jordan Eberle added an empty-netter to help the Islanders snap a three-game skid with just their second win in 13 games (2-7-4).

Christopher Gibson, pulled in his last start after giving up five goals on 12 shots against Washington last Thursday, stopped 36 shots and has both wins for New York in its recent stretch.

Injury puts QB battle on hold

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama’s quarterback competition could be on hold, at least briefly.

The defending national champion Crimson Tide opened spring practice Tuesday with an intriguing battle between two-year starter Jalen Hurts, who’s 26-2 in that role, and title game hero Tua Tagovailoa. It won’t hit full steam until Tagovailoa recovers from a thumb injury on his throwing hand that he sustained in the first practice.

Coach Nick Saban said Tagovailoa would be evaluated in Birmingham to determine the nature of the injury.

E. Michigan drops four sports

YPSILANTI, Mich. (AP) — Eastern Michigan University plans to drop softball, men’s swimming and diving, women’s tennis and wrestling at the end of the spring season due to budget cutbacks.

The Ypsilanti school announced the planned athletic cuts Tuesday, saying the reduction in sports to 17 from 21 will save about $2.4 million.

The school says the cuts will involve 58 male student-athletes and 25 female student-athletes. The university plans to honor athletics scholarships for students who remain at Eastern to complete their degrees. It says the school’s Mid-American Conference affiliation isn’t affected.

Eastern says the last time it changed sports offerings was in 2000, when men’s tennis and men’s soccer were discontinued and women’s rowing was added. Men’s gymnastics and women’s field hockey were eliminated in 1988.

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