Sports Digest: VU to host Faith and Family Day on Saturday

Men's basketball

SSC FALLS TO TRITON: NJCAA No. 2 South Suburban trailed by as many as 20 points in the first half and never seriously threatened Triton, falling 75-60 for its first loss of the season.

E.C. Central product Michael Harris topped the Bulldogs (16-1) with 16 points. Marcus Lewis tallied a dozen.

Women's basketball

VU HOSTS FAITH AND FAMILY DAY: Valparaiso University will host Faith and Family Day during Saturday's game against Youngstown State.

Congregations from the Nazarene Church of Valparaiso and St. Teresa of Avila's Student Center and Church will be special honored guests. At halftime, the pastors of both churches will compete in a sumo wrestling contest.

Discount tickets can be purchased from the Nazarene church office, 2702 E. Glendale Blvd., or the St. Teresa of Avila church office, 1511 LaPorte Ave.

For details, contact group sales ticket coordinator Renee' Turpa at Renee.Turpa@Valpo.edu.

Pro golf

A NEW START ON PGA TOUR WITH PLENTY OF NEW FACES: Steve Stricker is back on Maui, a familiar place for a guy who has won on the PGA Tour in each of the last three years to qualify for the season-opening Tournament of Champions.

Not so familiar are some of the guys he'll be trying to beat.

Twelve players in the 28-man field are at Kapalua for the first time, more evidence of change on the PGA Tour. A year ago, Stricker didn't know who most of them were.

Keegan Bradley? He was known more as the nephew of LPGA great Pat Bradley until he won two times, including that unlikely comeback in Atlanta to capture the PGA Championship in his first try at a major.

Jhonattan Vegas was the first PGA Tour member from Venezuela. Scott Stallings? Brendan Steele?

"I know them now a little bit," Stricker said Thursday on the eve of the opening round.

The PGA Tour season gets under way today. It wants to get away from the NFL playoffs on Sunday, so the final round will end Monday just before the BCS Championship game starts.

Around the horn

WJOB co-owner and morning drive host Jim Dedelow discusses his past, present and future in local radio on "Purdue Calumet Sports Insight" at 5:30 p.m. today on WJOB-AM (1230). ... The Sacramento Kings fired coach Paul Westphal on Thursday after two-plus seasons and a 2-5 start. ... Jeff Fisher interviewed for the St. Louis Rams coaching job Thursday after previously meeting with the Miami Dolphins. ... Wisconsin running back Montee Ball is coming back for his senior season.