Reggie Upshaw leads MTSU

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Former Baylor School standout Reggie Upshaw scored 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting, and JaCorey Williams added 14 points and nine rebounds as top-seeded Middle Tennessee State University beat the University of Texas at San Antonio 86-70 Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA basketball tournament. Giddy Potts also scored 14 points, Edward Simpson added 11 and Xavier Habersham had 10 for MTSU (28-4). The Blue Raiders, who have won eight in a row, will play the University of Texas at El Paso (15-16), the No. 4 seed, in today’s semifinals. Simpson and Williams each hit a jumper before Upshaw made a layup to cap a 6-0 run that made it 13-8, and MTSU led the rest of the way. Simpson hit backto-back 3-pointers to cap a 12-3 run that pushed the lead into double figures — at 41-24 — for good with 2:12 left in the first half. Jeff Beverly, Giovanni De Nicolao and Austin Karrer each scored 10 points to lead No. 9 seed UTSA (14-19). MTSU shot 33-of-56 (59 percent) from the field, including 9-of-17 from 3-point range, and scored 24 points off 13 UTSA turnovers.

AUTO RACING

› DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Championship team owners Joe Gibbs and Roger Penske as well as the late Davey Allison are among five new nominees announced this week for the 2018 NASCAR Hall of Fame class. Three-time Late Model Sportsman and 1956 Modified champion Red Farmer and 2000 NASCAR champion

Bobby Labonte also are new to the 20-person nomination class. They join 15 holdovers from last year. Gibbs has nine car owner championships in NASCAR’S top two series. Penske has four car owner titles in the top two series. Allison won 19 times in NASCAR’s premier series, including the 1992 Daytona 500. The returning nominees are

Buddy Baker, Red Byron, Ray Evernham, Ray Fox, Ron Hornaday Jr., Harry Hyde, Alan Kulwicki, Hershel McGriff, Larry Phillips, Jack Roush, Ricky Rudd, Mike Stefanik, Ken Squier, Waddell Wilson and Robert Yates. Five nominees will be elected May 24.

FOOTBALL

› COLUMBUS, Ohio — New Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson sidestepped most questions about his treatment of players and staff at Indiana but insisted Urban Meyer wouldn’t have hired him if he’d done anything wrong. Wilson resigned as Indiana’s head coach in December because of what the school said were “philosophical differences in how to run a football team.”