The Mad Ants went cold in the second half as Tulsa topped Fort Wayne 101-77 in a D League contest Monday in Tulsa, Okla.
The Mad Ants scored just 27 points in the second half, falling to 14-25.
Fort Wayne scored 26 in the first quarter and 24 in the second to take a 50-48 lead into halftime. The 66ers outscored Fort Wayne 53-27 after halftime.
Jason Straight scored 20 points to lead the Mad Ants. Sean Sonderleiter added 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Former IU star D.J. White had 26 points and 11 rebounds for Tulsa (23-16).
The Mad Ants have lost five of six. Fort Wayne plays next at Albuquerque at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Cubs cruise; White Sox fall
Ryan Dempster tossed two perfect innings in his spring debut as the Cubs beat Oakland 10-3 in Phoenix. Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez each drove in a run for the Cubs. … White Sox outfielder Alex Rios, who has been in the lineup only once this spring because of a sore right shoulder, went 2 for 2 with a mammoth home run in Chicago’s 5-4 loss to a Mariners split squad in Glendale, Ariz.
Leo pitcher to sign with Indiana Tech
Leo senior pitcher Brandon Alger will sign a letter of intent to Indiana Tech on Wednesday. The left-handed Alger was 10-3 last season for the regional runner-up Lions and was named to the All-ACAC first team.
Irish guard receives Big East award
Notre Dame guard Tory Jackson received the Big East Sportsmanship Award, the conference announced. The senior leads the Big East in assists with 5.4 per game, and he is averaging 9.7 points. Other awards announced by the conference were Hamady Ndiaye of Rutgers as Defensive Player of the Year, Ashton Gibbs of Pittsburgh as Most Improved Player and Kris Joseph of Syracuse as Sixth Man.
Around the NFL
Guard Ryan Lilja has been cut by Indianapolis. Lilja started all 19 games, including the Super Bowl loss to New Orleans, last season for the Colts, but the team decided to release him, agent Craig Domann said. The 28-year-old Lilja received his $1.7 million roster bonus before being cut. … A high-profile defense attorney hired by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger disputed a college student’s claim that the two-time Super Bowl winner sexually assaulted her at a Georgia nightclub. Roethlisberger has not been charged. … Philadelphia will reportedly pay quarterback Michael Vick a $1.5 million roster bonus today.
Irish set 2011 off-site game
Notre Dame will play Maryland in the 91,704-seat FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskins in Landover, Md., on Nov. 12, 2011, the university announced Monday. The game will be the third in a series of off-site games and is expected to be televised in prime time on NBC. Notre Dame will play Army in Yankee Stadium on Nov. 20 this fall, and the Irish are slated to play Arizona State in the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium in 2013.
Area represented on North All-Stars
Ten players and two coaches from northeast Indiana were selected as North All-Stars to play the South in the annual summer game. The players are: Bellmont’s Conner Emenhiser, Snider’s Devon Rush, Bishop Luers’ Joe Goodwin, South Side’s Greg Johnson, Harding’s Rod Smith, Norwell’s Klay Fiechter, Southern Wells’ Tyler Roush, Manchester’s Brady Miller, North Side’s Andrew Webster and Homestead’s Colin Harruff. Southern Wells’ Mark Lefebvre and Manchester’s Brandon Baker will serve as assistant coaches.
FireHawks seek musicians for band
The Fort Wayne FireHawks will be organizing a pep band for home games. Interested musicians 21 and older should contact Judi Loomis at
creawricon@verizon.net or Lou Bustos at
ihsp3795@yahoo.com">
ihsp3795@yahoo.com.
Ping, PGA resolve wedge dispute
The 20-year-old Ping wedges with square-shaped grooves will no longer be allowed on the PGA Tour starting March 29 under an agreement reached with Ping executives.
Stars top Capitals
Marty Turco made 49 saves and Dallas scored three times in the third period en route to a 4-3 shootout win over Washington, ending the Capitals’ club-record home win streak at 13. Washington’s Alex Ovechkin scored twice.
