Tyndall’s NCAA appeal hearing is today

An attorney for former Southern Mississippi basketball coach says the coach’s NCAA infractions case appeal hearing will be today in Indianapolis.

is representing Tyndall, who is asking the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions to reverse the 10-year show-cause penalty he received in April for violations that occurred while he was coaching Southern Miss.

Jackson said he expects the NCAA’s final ruling won’t come for at least 4-6 weeks.

The NCAA penalized Tyndall after the governing body ruled the coach orchestrated academic fraud designed to land recruits as well as other misconduct. Tyndall was fired as Tennessee’s coach in 2015 due to the possibility the NCAA might penalize him.

Southern Miss self-imposed a two-year postseason ban that took effect in 2015.

WNBA

scored 25 points and added 23 to help the Seattle Storm beat the New York Liberty 102-78 on Wednesday. The Storm (13-17) moved into a tie for seventh place in the playoff chase. The Liberty (20-10) secured the third seed in the playoffs . ...

scored 21 points, added 20 and the duo combined to make nine of Washington’s seasonhigh 16 3-pointers in the Mystics’ 118-81 victory over the Chicago Sky. Washington (12-17) set a franchise scoring record and shot 60.8 percent from the field, including 16 of 28 from 3-point range. had 17 points and eight assists for Chicago (15-14).

NBA

The 76ers re-signed free agent forward bringing back a veteran who played 17 games and averaged 4.1 points with Philadelphia last season. Brand hasn’t averaged more than 20 minutes per game since 2012-2013. The two-time All-Star has played 17 seasons.

SoCCer

was stymied in a bid for a second national anthem protest Wednesday when the National Women’s Soccer League’s Washington Spirit moved up the pregame ceremonies. On Sunday before the Seattle Rhein’s game in Chicago, Rapinoe knelt during the national anthem “in a little nod” to the San Francisco 49ers quarterback who has refused to stand for the anthem to protest racial injustice.

oBituArieS

Boxer died Wednesday under hospice care for dementia. He was 64. Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005, the former World Boxing Council featherweight and super featherweight champion had a career record of 59-7-1 with 47 knockouts. Chacon will be inducted into the West Coast Boxing Hall of Fame on Sept. 25.

Former Indianapolis Colts and Oklahoma State kicker died Tuesday at age 47.

said her ex-husband passed away unexpectedly of what she believes was a massive heart attack, but she added that an autopsy has not been performed. Blanchard lived near Edmond, Oklahoma, but Mindi said he died in Mabank, Texas, three days after his mother’s funeral there. As a Colt, Blanchard was an Associated Press All-Pro in 1996 and a Pro Bowl selection in 1997.

Andy Murray lost his way, seven consecutive games and, eventually, his five-set U.S. Open quarterfinal against Kei Nishikori after a loud noise from a malfunctioning sound system interrupted a key point, resulting in a do-over.

Whether or not the gong-like sound, and chair umpire Marija Cicak’s let ruling, was the reason Nishikori wound up coming back to win 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 on Wednesday, it surely will be what’s most remembered about the back-andforth, four-hour match.

After all, Murray’s extended discussions with Cicak and another official about the episode came during a stretch in which he dropped 12 of 14 points. He went from a lead of two sets to one, plus a break point at 1-all, to ceding the fourth set and trailing 2-0 in the fifth.

“I could have won the match for sure,” said Murray, the No. 2 seed and 2012 champion at Flushing Meadows.

Murray acknowledged a brief dip in play, but preferred to focus on other reasons for allowing the sixthseeded Nishikori to reach a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time since he was the U.S. Open runner-up two years ago.

“I broke serve enough times,” Murray said. “I just didn’t hold serve enough. That was the difference.”

Murray complained about the ruling right away, gave away the next three points to lose the game, then brought it up again with Cicak at the ensuing changeover, saying something similar had happened earlier and play had continued.

The same type of noise came from the speakers again at 4-1 in the fourth set. It also happened during a women’s match Monday night between Ana Konjuh and Agnieszka Radwanska.

The U.S. Tennis Association said Wednesday that a “digital audio sound processor” was at fault and would be replaced before the night session.

Despite the fuss, Murray went ahead 5-4 in the fifth. At 5-all, 30-all, Murray double-faulted to set up break point, and Nishikori converted by reaching for a stretch volley winner.

Murray had won 26 of his previous 27 matches, including a second Olympic gold medal, beating Nishikori in straight sets in the semifinals at Rio de Janeiro.

This time, Nishikori came through, helped by a series of effective drop shots and an ability to keep his nerve over the closing three games.

“It was too exciting on the court, but I tried to stay calm,” he said. “It was really tough to stay calm . ... There were many ups and downs.”

In the women’s quarterfinals, Serena Williams was broken for the first time in the tournament, and lost a set for the first time, but got past No. 5 Simona Halep 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. A year ago in the U.S. Open semifinals, Williams’ bid for a calendar-year Grand Slam ended with a loss to unseeded Roberta Vinci of Italy.

Today, Williams faces 10th-seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, who reached her first major semifinal by eliminating 18-year-old Ana Konjuh 6-2, 6-2. The other women’s semifinal is No. 2 Angelique Kerber vs. two-time runnerup Caroline Wozniacki.

Nishikori will face the winner of Wednesday night’s quarterfinal between 2009 champion Juan Martin del Potro and No. 3 seed Stan Wawrinka. The other men’s semifinal Friday is No. 1 Novak Djokovic against No. 10 Gael Monfils.