Shock tops Silver Stars for 3rd title in six years
wnba
The Detroit Shock won its third WNBA title in six seasons yesterday, beating the visiting San Antonio Silver Stars, 76-60, in Game 3. Detroit swept the league's best regular-season team, winning the clincher at Eastern Michigan University's Convocation Center, a 9,000-plus-seat venue forced upon them because of a scheduling conflict. Katie Smith, who scored a team-high 18 points and hit a key three-pointer during a decisive fourth-quarter run, was named the Finals' Most Valuable Player. Leading 49-45 after three quarters, the Shock went on a 13-2 run, capped by Smith's high-arching three-pointer that made it 62-47. She won the league championship less than two months after she and her U.S. teammates took Olympic gold in Beijing. Detroit became the second team in league history to win a third title. Only the Houston Comets, who won the first four (1997-2000), have more. Los Angeles (2001, 2002) is the only other team with more than one. A year earlier, the Shock let the 2007 title slip away, losing it at The Palace to the Phoenix Mercury.
Rangers pull off sweep of Lightning in Europe
NHL
Wade Redden had a goal and an assist for the New York Rangers, who rallied to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1, in Prague, Czech Republic, sweeping their two-game, season-opening series in Europe. Redden, a defenseman who signed a six-year, $39 million free-agent deal with the Rangers during the summer, tied it with a power-play goal 3:47 into the second period when he blasted a shot past goalie Olie Kolzig off a pass from Markus Naslund. Scott Gomez scored into an empty net 12:12 into the second period after Rangers wing Aaron Voros deflected a shot by Redden.
Senators 3, Penguins 1: : Dany Heatley scored two goals and Daniel Alfredsson had two assists for Ottawa, which beat Pittsburgh to split an NHL opening-weekend series in Stockholm, Sweden. Alex Goligoski spoiled Senators goalie Alex Auld's shutout bid with a power-play goal two seconds before the final buzzer.
Rookie Johnson beats Allenby for 1st PGA title
golf
Rookie Dustin Johnson won the PGA Turning Stone Resort Championship, shooting a 3-under-par 69 to beat Robert Allenby by one shot in Verona, N.Y. Johnson won his first tour title by making an 8-foot birdie putt on the final hole to edge the veteran Australian, who was seeking his fifth victory and first since 2001. Allenby's 12-foot putt for birdie to tie stopped inches short of the hole. Johnson won $1.08 million to jump from 128th on the money list into the top 100.
