La Salle

PORT O'CONNOR, Texas -- Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, charted the Great Lakes, discovered the mouth of the Mississippi and claimed half the continent for France.But he was not well-liked.His own men -- those who didn't desert him -- sank his ships, poisoned his food and, eventually, shot him in the head.Three hundred years after La Salle's final voyage, however, archaeologists love him.And Texans are suddenly enthralled with the story of the explorer's failed attempt to establish an ocean route to the Mississippi and a French colony on its bank.

Gregory Harris scored 27 points, including 10 in overtime, as Mount St. Mary's posted a 92-88 victory over La Salle last night in the men's college basketball opener for both teams at Knott Arena.The Mountaineers led 74-71 after Konata Springer's layup, but LaSalle forced overtime when Julian Blanks banked in a three-pointer as time expired.The Mount never trailed in the extra period, making seven of nine free throws to give coach Jim Phelan his 786th career win.The Mount led by one at halftime before pulling ahead 53-45 with 11: 55 left in the second half.

PHILADELPHIA -- Could this be the year? Well, with nearly half a season gone for many teams, this could be the first time in 21 years that no Big 5 team makes the NCAA tournament.If they issued invitations today, only Temple would make it. And when they issue invitations in March, the Owls, for the 14th time in 15th years, probably will make it. But, right now, they are it. And they're no lock.In its 43rd year, the Big 5 has had only three dry NCAA years -- 1957, 1976, 1977. Does anybody else notice an every-generation trend?

Rachel Weber intercepted a clear, speeded past Maryland goalie Riki-Ann Serrins, and netted the game-winner to lift visiting, No. 7 Santa Clara, 1-0, over the 14th-ranked Terps (6-2-2) TTC in the first round of the George Mason/Umbro Classic in a women's college soccer game in Fairfax, Va., yesterday.Towson 2, New Hampshire 0: Christi Landi scored two second-half goals to power visiting Towson University (7-2-1, 1-0-0) past New Hampshire (1-9-1, 0-2-0) in an America East conference game.Men's soccerTowson 1, New Hampshire 0: Andre Wise (Meade)

Mount St. Mary's entered its game with UMBC last night shooting 25 percent from three-point range. Don't try selling that to the Retrievers.The teams, which hadn't played since a meeting in the Baltimore Beltway Classic seven years ago, were involved in an interesting if somewhat ragged struggle near the midpoint of the second half when the visiting Mountaineers started hitting threes as if they invented them.First, Rob Balgac hit, then Eric Bethel, Greg Harris and Bethel again. A five-point lead ballooned to 11 and the Mount was home free for its first victory of the season, 66-58.

Sophomore guard Corey Hewitt had career highs of 20 points and 11 assists to pace the Loyola women to an 86-65 victory over South Carolina in the first round of the Diamond Club Classic in Blacksburg, Va., yesterday.The Greyhounds (3-7) have won two straight and three of their past four games after opening the season with six straight losses.The Gamecocks (5-3) allowed Loyola to shoot a season-high 57 percent (30 of 53) from the field and 64 percent (seven of 11) on three-pointers."Today's win was simply a terrific effort from our entire team," Loyola coach Pat Coyle said.

Towson State (2-1) at Maryland (1-0)Site: Cole Field House, College ParkTime: 1 p.m.Radio: WBAL (1090 AM), WTMD (89.7 FM), WTOP (1500 AM)Outlook: Fresh off Tuesday's 93-55 dismantling of Howard, the Terrapins now take on an opponent they've beaten all 11 times they've met. Last year's season-opening game was no breeze, though, with Maryland managing a 70-67 victory.Morgan State (0-1) at Kansas State (2-0)Site: Bramiage Coliseum, Manhattan, Kan.Time: 1 p.m.Outlook: Morgan State opened on Tuesday with a 74-58 loss at Georgia Tech.

EMMITSBURG -- Donnie Carr, who was voted Pennsylvania high school player of the year last season, lived up to his advance billing by scoring 36 points in his college debut for La Salle at Mount St. Mary's last night.But it was a less ballyhooed freshman, Rob Balgac of Belgrade, Yugoslavia, who made only one field goal and scored a modest 11 points, who had the final say in the Mountaineers' pulsating 89-87 victory before 1,730.After Carr made a three-pointer to tie it at 87, Balgac dribbled almost the length of the court before launching a shot as he was fouled by Olof Landgren with three seconds left.

LeRon Cephus, a 6-foot-7, 225-pound power forward from Wilmington, Del., has made an oral commitment to attend the University of Maryland, sources said yesterday.Cephus, who attended Stamford Prep, made a two-day visit to College Park this week. He also was being recruited by Virginia Tech, Xavier, La Salle and St. Joseph's.Pub Date: 3/30/96

PALACIOS, Texas -- Archaeologists have pushed aside the cloudy waters off Matagorda Peninsula with an enclosed, octagonal steel dam. They've sucked out a portion of Matagorda Bay.And now, inside a nearly dry pit, they're uncovering parts of a ship that no one has seen in 300 years.The bay's gray bottom is slowly giving up pieces of La Belle, a two-masted vessel sailed to the New World in 1684 by the French explorer Robert La Salle.What's left of the ship -- about 20 percent of the hull and dozens of artifacts -- has been buried under 12 feet of water since the late 1680s, when the ship's inexperienced crew lost control in a storm and ran it aground.

Men's college soccer Two goals by Bulls help UMBC to 3-0 victory at La Salle Sophomore forward Andrew Bulls (McDonogh) scored two first-half goals, leading visiting UMBC (9-0-0) to a 3-0 victory over La Salle (3-4-1) in the Retrievers' first road game of the season. Bulls, the nation's leading scorer, netted his 11th and 12th goals of the season in the 22nd and 29th minutes, and freshman Matt Knight added a goal in the 89th minute to extend UMBC's school-record winning streak to start a season.

The Morgan State women's basketball team - led by Corin Adams with 20 points - held off a late rally by visiting La Salle to win, 71-70, last night. The Explorers (4-4) set a school record for most three-pointers in a game with 13 and were down by 13 points with less than two minutes to go. Morgan Robertson led La Salle with a double double (16 points, 13 rebounds), and Margaret Elderton matched her 16 points and added five assists and three steals. The Explorers used a pair of 9-0 runs through the game's first eight minutes to take their largest lead of the first half at 10. La Salle led 32-27 before the Bears (6-1)

Rodney Green and Kammani Barrett each scored 15 points, and Jerrell Williams had 12 points and 11 rebounds as host La Salle defeated Morgan State, 64-61, yesterday in the season opener for both teams. Jermaine Bolden had 14 points and Rogers Barnes 13 for Morgan State, which made only 21 of 64 shots. Neither team had more than a five-point lead in the second half, which had 10 lead changes and six ties. With the score tied at 58, Williams scored five straight points, giving La Salle (1-0)

Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman said the Bears are going through a tough patch with starting point guard Jerrell Green injured. The way the Bears played for the first 38 minutes of yesterday's game, you would have thought they never missed him. Sophomore point guard Reggie Holmes (St. Frances) scored 26 points and senior guard Jamar Smith added 25 as the Bears defeated La Salle, 93-87, at Hill Field House yesterday. The Bears (5-4) turned up their defensive pressure just before halftime to build a small lead, and then extended it early in the second half.

Five years ago, Billy Hahn was a hot commodity. Now, he's confronted by the likelihood of a third straight season out of the game he loves. Hahn spent nearly half of his 33 years in college basketball at Maryland, where he was a reserve guard on some great teams in the early 1970s and an assistant coach to Gary Williams from 1989 to 2001. After the Terps reached their first Final Four, in 2001, Hahn became the head coach at La Salle. Two years ago, he was forced to resign in the wake of sexual assault charges against three of his players.

On Wednesday, March 8, 2006, BERNARD FISHER, beloved husband of Natalie F. Fisher (nee Rudolph); loving father of Sanford R. and Lois I. Fisher, devoted father-in-law of Darlene Fisher and Leo Jackson; beloved brother of Doris Schwartzman and Jean Lazinsky; loving grandfather of Jennifer and Stephen Fisher and Samuel Jackson. Services at SOL LEVINSON BROS INC, 8900 Resisterstown Road at Mt Wilson Lane, on Friday, March 10 at 2 P.M. Interment at Beth Tfiloh Congregation Cemetery - 5800 Windsor Mill Road.

Gary Neal draws stares wherever he goes. They gaze and gawk and still come away with no answers. They can't believe what they've seen and aren't sure they believe what they've heard. Do you trust your eyes? Or do you trust his words? Do you trust your judgment? Or do you trust the jury's? Neal has never wavered. "When I looked at the situation, it was always through the eyes of an innocent man," he says. He's flashy on a basketball court, a bright star who has returned from banishment.

Everything surrounding Gary Neal's debut in a Towson basketball uniform was quiet -- and considering the circumstances of his arrival, it was for the best. Nothing Neal did in that uniform last night, however, was quiet. He was like nothing anyone has seen at this school in years. Within two minutes of his entrance into the game against Virginia Military Institute at Towson Center, he was not only the best player on his team, or the best player on the court, he also was the best college player in the city.

Roger Clemens hasn't decided whether he will pitch next season, again leaving the Houston Astros in a bind as they plan for 2006. "Today, he would retire if he had to make the decision," Clemens' agent, Randy Hendricks, said. Hendricks added that the seven-time Cy Young Award winner, who hobbled off the mound after only two innings in Game 2 of the World Series against the Chicago White Sox because of a strained left hamstring, probably won't make a decision until late January or early February.

One month after being acquitted of a rape charge by a Philadelphia jury and nearly 21 months after playing his last collegiate basketball at La Salle, junior guard Gary Neal is restarting his career as the newest member of Towson's men's team. Neal will join the Tigers at practice today and is eligible to appear in his first game Dec. 21 against visiting VMI after being cleared to play by Dr. Robert Caret, the university president. Caret decided last week to approve a recommendation by an administrative committee that reviewed Neal's request to play for Towson.