Pro hockey
BLACKHAWKS SLIDE BY OILERS:
Pro tennis
VENUS, NADAL, RODDICK OUT OF AUSSIE: China's Li Na defeated Venus Williams 2-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5 in a marathon, mistake-ridden quarterfinal at the Australian Open featuring 110 unforced errors.
Williams served for the match in the second set against Li but was broken, forcing the set to the tiebreaker which Li dominated. Williams held service in the first game of the third set and Li in the eighth, but in between there were six consecutive breaks of serve -- and eight in the first 10.
Li broke Williams' serve again in the 11th game of the decider, then held to win on her third match point in 2 hours, 47 minutes. Li made 57 unforced errors in the match, Williams 53.
Defending men's champion Rafael Nadal is out after retiring with an injured knee during his quarterfinal against Andy Murray.
No. 5-seeded Murray became the first British man in 25 years to reach the semifinals in Australia. Murray was leading No. 2-ranked Nadal 6-3, 7-6 (2), 3-0 late Tuesday night when the Spaniard said he could not continue.
Andy Roddick ended a tumultuous run and lost his quarterfinal 7-6 (4), 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3 to Marin Cilic of Croatia.
Pro football
JACKSON PICKS RAIDERS, NOT BEARS: The Oakland Raiders hired Hue Jackson as offensive coordinator on Tuesday, hoping the man who helped develop Joe Flacco in Baltimore can do the same for JaMarcus Russell.
Jackson was mentioned as a possible candidate to be offensive coordinator for the Bears but chose the Raiders instead.
College basketball
SPARTANS EDGE WOLVERINES: Kalin Lucas made a go-ahead jumper with 3.5 seconds left, lifting No. 5 Michigan State to a 57-56 win over Michigan on Tuesday night.
The Spartans (18-3, 8-0 Big Ten) have won their first eight conference games for the first time in school history and have beaten their rival for 17th time in 20 meetings.
Zack Novak (Chesterton) had seven points and six rebounds for the Wolverines (10-10, 3-5).
TOP-RANKED KENTUCKY FALLS: Devan Downey scored 30 points and South Carolina sent No. 1 Kentucky to its first loss of the season with a 68-62 victory on Tuesday night.
The Wildcats (19-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) moved atop the rankings for this week for the first time since 2003.
CARDINALS PREVAIL: Jarrod Jones (Michigan City) had 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead Ball State to a 65-59 victory over Miami (Ohio) in double overtime.
College football
VALPO GRAD JOINS STAFF: Bob Muckian, a 1997 Valparaiso University graduate who served as offensive coordinator for new Crusaders coach Dale Carlson at Ohio Dominican University, has been named Valpo's assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator.
"Coach Muckian and I have worked together at two different schools," Carlson said in a release. "Our familiarity with offensive schemes will be a great help in teaching players here at Valpo. Being a Valpo grad will benefit us moving the football program forward. He knows what it is like to be a student-athlete here."
Muckian, who played football at VU and lettered twice, helped guide an Ohio Dominican offense that ranked 11th nationally in NAIA in 2009 with 443 yards per game and 18th in scoring with 34.7 points per game.
Local basketball
VU'S THETA CHI HOLDING CHARITY EVENT: Valparaiso University's Theta Chi fraternity is hosting its second annual 24-hour basketball marathon fund raiser for the American Cancer Society this weekend at Hilltop Gymnasium. The event begins Friday at 9 p.m. and concludes Saturday at 9 p.m.
Last year's event accounted for 25 percent of all charity monies raised by VU campus groups in 2009.
Teams can sign up to play for a minimum of 30 minutes. Anyone wishing to enter a team, contribute or help sponsor the event should contact Mitch Secrest at Mitch.Secrest@valpo.edu or call (630) 621-6767 or (219) 462-9231. Refreshments will be served and all participants will receive a free T-shirt. The public is invited to watch. Contribution cards will be available.
Around the horn
The Calumet College wrestling team defeated Hannibal-LaGrange College 34-3. Chad Allen and Derek Allen each won via pin. Freshman Santiago Botello got the first win of his collegiate career, 7-3. Nick Fouts (Crown Point) earned a 12-3 win and Dustin Boyd took a 12-8 victory. ... Several fighters from the Hammond Boxing Club's junior division (16 and younger) competed this past Saturday in Summit, Ill. HBC's Zion Gonzales (9 years old, 60 pounds), Nino Barbosa (9, 54) and Shelby Calzone (11, 105) each defeated their opponents. HBC's Andres Santos (13, 103) and Tony Moore (15, 139) suffered losses via decisions. To contact the Hammond Boxing Club, call (219) 852-4210 or visit hammondboxingclubinc.com. ... Hunter Green, the son of former professional golfer Ken Green, was found dead in his dorm room at Southern Methodist University last week, authorities said.
