Staley suing Missouri AD
South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley is suing Missouri’s athletic director, saying he slandered her when he suggested she created an atmosphere that encouraged fans to spit on his players and use racial slurs.
Staley’s suit filed in Richland County asks for no more than $75,000 in damages from Jim Sterk for disparaging her reputation.
Also, Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey fined Jim Sterk $25,000 and reprimanded him for publicly criticizing Staley.
The problems started the day after South Carolina’s 64-54 win Jan. 28 at home. The teams have played three tough, physical games in a row, and Sterk said in a radio interview the latest game had an unhealthy atmosphere.
“We had players spit on, and called the N-word and things like that. … I think coach Staley promoted that kind of atmosphere,” Sterk said on KTGR radio.
Staley called the accusations “serious and false” right after they were made and said she lost sleep over them.
More college basketball
The NCAA declared No. 14-ranked Arizona’s Allonzo Trier ineligible for the reappearance of the banned substance that led to a 19-game suspension a year ago. The school said the NCAA notified the Wildcats that the junior guard had a trace amount of the substance from a drug test late in January.
• Duke center Marques Bolden is not expected to miss any time after he had surgery Thursday on a broken nasal bone. He got hurt Sunday in a win at Clemson and played 16 minutes Wednesday night against Louisville.
Golf
Alex Noren and Webb Simpson each shot 66 to lead the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., on a day so tough for scoring that Tiger Woods had his best day in his return. Woods had only one bad hole, a double bogey on the par-5 third, and was four shots behind. Only 20 players managed to break par.
• Three-time tour winner Minjee Lee of Australia finished with a superb eagle putt to be among the four leaders after day one of the LPGA Thailand in Chonburi. Lee sank a 45-foot putt on the 18th hole to card a 66 for the lead with 2016 champion Lexi Thompson, Jessica Korda and local hope Moriya Jutanugarn.
• Dan Obremski of PennTrafford High School shot an 8-under 64 to win a Minor League Golf Tour event in Jupiter, Fla. It is his sixth victory on the tour. He edged Cole Wilcox of Malvern, Pa.
Tennis
The United States Tennis Association was found mostly liable for when Canadian player Eugenie Bouchard slipped on a wet locker room floor and hit her head at the 2015 U.S. Open in New York. A jury found Bouchard was partially at fault. It determined the USTA was 75 percent to blame, Bouchard 25 percent to blame. Damages will be determined in another phase of the trial, starting Friday.
• Second-seeded Stan Wawrinka hobbled out of the Open 13 in Marseille, France, in the second round after retiring when trailing, 6-4, 1-1, against Ilya Ivashka. It was not immediately clear why Wawrinka abandoned against the 193rd-ranked Belarusian, but the three-time Grand Slam champion still appears to be struggling with his troublesome left knee.
Harness racing
The Meadows Racetrack & Casino will resume live racing , at 5:30 p.m Friday. The Meadows have submitted a proposal to the Pennsylvania Racing Commission to replace lost racing days by increasing the schedule from three days per week to four in October and November, and by eliminating previously scheduled breaks in May, July and September.