Sports briefs for June 10, 2005

Friday, June 10, 2005 | 10:41 a.m.

Rebels sign five for women's program

Four post players who are all 6-foot-3 or taller -- Shamela Hampton, Latoya Hunt, Faye Muller, Samantha Stickler -- and guard Brittany Halberg have signed letters of intent to play for head coach Regina Miller's UNLV women's team.

Hampton (19.8 ppg, 13.5 rpg) signed during the fall period out of Colorado Springs, Colo., and was a first-team all-state center.

Hunt, a 6-3 forward from Fresno, Calif., averaged 11.6 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 6.4 blocks per game her senior season at Edison High.

Muller (10.1 ppg, 9.9 rpg), a 6-3 center and native of Aurora, Colo., will be a junior at UNLV after playing her first two years at Northeastern JC, where she led the Plainswomen to the final four of the Region IX Tournament and a 20-13 record. She averaged 10.1 ppg and 9.9 rpg while earning All-Region IX honors for the second consecutive year.

Stickler, a 6-6 center from Grand Canyon, Ariz., set school records by averaging 26.5 points, 12.1 rebounds and 5.1 blocks.

Halberg is a 5-7 guard of Lake Oswego, Ore., and was a two-time all-conference player at Lakeridge High.

UNLV's Spence advances

UNLV senior Christine Spence moved a step closer to achieving All-America honors for the third time in her college career as she advanced to the final in the high jump and the 400-meter hurdles Thursday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Sacramento.

Spence was one of 15 athletes to clear 5 feet, 10 3/4 inches, tying for the day's best mark in qualifying on her first attempt.

Spence followed that with a time of 58.07 in the opening round of the 400 meter hurdles to advance to the semifinals of that event.

Armstrong falls back

A day after climbing to second place in the overall standings in the Dauphine Libere race in France, Lance Armstrong slipped to fourth place today when he finished 23rd in the 136-mile stage between Vaison-La-Romaine and Grenoble.

Armstrong finished more than nine minutes behind Axel Merckx, his chief rival and the stage winner.

The race is the final tuneup for Armstrong before he attempts to win a seventh consecutive Tour de France championship next month.

Commission KOs Mesi

Heavyweight boxer Joe Mesi lost the biggest bout of his career Thursday when the Nevada State Athletic Commission refused to lift a medical suspension that has kept him out of the ring for more than a year.

The five-person commission voted unanimously after a lengthy hearing that involved several doctors who testified that Mesi could safely return to the ring since suffering at least two subdural hematomas -- or bleeding on the brain.

Penguins deal set

West Coast investors have negotiated a letter of intent to purchase a majority interest in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Mario Lemieux, the team's primary owner since 1999, will hold a reduced share of the franchise but his presence in the deal reinforces the contention that there are no immediate plans to relocate the franchise. But the team's long-term future in Pittsburgh apparently still hinges on getting a venue to replace Mellon Arena, the oldest facility in the National Hockey League.

Liverpool gets in

European soccer's governing body announced today that Liverpool will be allowed to defend its Champions League title in 2006 but will have to begin play in the first qualifying round. Liverpool, which beat AC Milan in the final last month, had failed to earn an automatic spot in the European championship tournament because it did not finish among the top four team in England's Premier League. -- Sun wire services