Sports briefs for May 13, 2004

Thursday, May 13, 2004 | 9:39 a.m.

UNLV's Spence leads MWC's heptathlon

UNLV's Christine Spence was the surprise leader in the heptathlon, while Devin Scoresby of BYU led in the decathlon after the first day of competition Wednesday at the 2004 Mountain West Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships at UNLV.

Spence, a senior competing in the heptathlon for the first time in her career, grabbed the first-day lead with 3,297 points. She posted first-place performances in three of the first four events, highlighted by a conference record-breaking attempt in the high jump.

The meet continues today with the decathlon and heptathlon. Qualifying begins Friday in several track events with finals set on Saturday.

Two Rebels honored

UNLV softball players Lisa Sampson and Pauline Glenn were named to the All-Mountain West Conference team, league officials announced Wednesday.

Sampson, a senior from Fairfield, Calif., led the Rebels in hitting in MWC games with a .386 average. She started 58 games in center field and hit .329 for the year.

Glenn, a junior from Tucson, hit .345 in league games. She also earned All-MWC kudos as a freshman in 2002.

Iraq makes Olympics

Iraq's soccer team qualified for the Athens Olympics on Wednesday, less than three months after the country was reinstated by the International Olympic Committee. Iraq beat Saudi Arabia 3-1, and then clinched the third and final Asian qualifying spot when Kuwait held Oman to a scoreless draw.

Free beer offer nixed

An NHL hockey team's promotion offering free beer to season ticket buyers drew the ire of safe-driving advocates, and the team said Wednesday it will not offer similar promotions again.

During a playoff game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, the Tampa arena's main scoreboard advertised the offer. Those who paid $100 toward 2004-05 season tickets were eligible for unlimited free beer during the game.

Pistons coach fined

Detroit Pistons coach Larry Brown was fined $7,500 Wednesday by the NBA for criticizing officials. On Monday, Brown said referees tried to antagonize Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace.