Scored

The last time the Johns Hopkins women's lacrosse team hosted Northwestern, in 2011, the Blue Jays earned one of the biggest upsets in the history of their program. The Wildcats returned to Homewood Field on Saturday, and this time the game did not go nearly as well for Johns Hopkins. Erin Fitzgerald tied a career-high with five goals and No. 4 Northwestern never trailed in a 18-8 victory. The No. 11 Blue Jays dropped their American Lacrosse Conference opener after starting the season with four straight victories.

Like professional athletes who get ready for their respective seasons in training camp, weekend golfers prep their games in the offseason. Some work out feverishly doing golf-specific exercises. Others take lessons to hone their swings. And more than a few simply go out and take their whacks on the driving range. Jim Kardash, who has owned and operated the Arundel Golf Park in Glen Burnie since 2004, said golfers run the gamut when it comes to conditioning their bodies - and their minds - for a game that takes its toll physically and mentally.

It was preparation night for both UMBC and Johns Hopkins on Friday at Homewood Field. The outcome went as expected, as No. 10 Hopkins controlled the game from start to finish in a 13-7 victory, but both coaches seemed more concerned about upcoming games. Up next for the Blue Jays (5-1) is Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, while the Retrievers (1-4) continue to prepare for their conference schedule in the American East. The Blue Jays had too much firepower for UMBC, as attackman Zach Palmer scored three goals and fellow attackmen Wells Stanwick, Ryan Brown and midfielder John Ranagan each added two. Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala was also impressed with his short stick midfielders on defense and goalie Pierce Bassett, who finished with 11 saves.

Mel Brooks' "The Producers" is a good show about a bad show. Based on his own 1968 movie, this Tony Award-winning 2001 Broadway musical remains as cheerfully vulgar as ever in the entertaining production by Silhouette Stages. Where appalling taste is concerned, it would be difficult to top a tune called "Springtime for Hitler. " The show's ingeniously lowbrow premise is that a struggling producer realizes it's possible to make more money from a flop than a hit. All he needs is a clever accountant who knows how to cook the books.

DURHAM, N.C. - Loyola may have awakened a sleeping giant in lacrosse Friday night. Unranked Duke exploded for five fourth-quarter goals and held on to beat No. 4 Loyola, 9-8, at Koskinen Stadium. Duke (3-4) broke the game's final tie with two goals in a 55-second burst from Josh Offit and Christian Walsh to go up 8-6 with 8:45 remaining. Although Loyola (4-2) twice cut the deficit to one, on goals by Pat Laconi and Justin Ward, the latter coming with 1:13 left, the Greyhounds couldn't get the equalizer.

Maggie McCormick (Liberty) scored a career-high six goals as she led the host No. 9 Penn State women's lacrosse team to a 13-12 victory over James Madison at Holuba Hall on Wednesday night. The Nittany Lions improved to 4-1 with their third straight win, and the Dukes fell to 3-1. Penn State scored five goals in the first 4:13 of the game en route to a 10-4 halftime lead. More national women's results Katrina Martinelli scored twice in the first half and assisted on the go-ahead goal in the second half as host Rutgers (4-1)

What a great weekend: HBO sent a screener for "Phil Spector," a made-for-TV movie about the legendary music producer, starring Al Pacino and Helen Mirren. Barry Levinson is the executive producer, with David Mamet as writer and director. That enough talent for you? David Mamet, whose "Glengarry Glen Ross" is made of the same fine angry American genius as Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman," and he's writing and directing a Sunday-night made-for-television movie on HBO. Talk to me some more about how TV dumbs down the culture.

The Randallstown boys basketball team had the ultimate fourth-quarter test of character. The Rams saw their 15-point lead dwindle to nothing with five minutes to play in Tuesday's Class 2A North region semifinal. The opponent was No. 13 Lake Clifton, defending state champions and the same Lakers who rallied past them earlier in the season. Instead of folding, Randallstown stayed poised. The Rams executed on offense and clamped down on defense, scoring the next eight points to restore order and claim a hard-fought 59-55 win on their home court.

There's a chance, and a good one at that, Loyola forward Erik Etherly played his final game at Reitz Arena on Sunday. He certainly made it memorable. Etherly scored a career-high 30 points, including a game-sealing dunk in the final minute, to lead the Greyhounds to a 63-61 victory over Manhattan to clinch the No. 3 seed in next weekend's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament. "I knew this would possibly be the last home game we'd have here, and I didn't want to go out with a loss," Etherly said.

Whistles blew as Maryland center Alex Len lay on the court in a tangle of arms and legs, refusing to release his grip on the ball. It was the final moments of Maryland's desperately needed 67-57 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday, and Len had flopped to the floor trying to beat the Demon Deacons' Devin Thomas to a loose ball. Officials frantically tried to signal the end of the play as players formed a circle around Len and Thomas. Maryland coach Mark Turgeon crouched near the outside of the scrum, looking as if he might wade in after the ball himself.