The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Reversal of Fortunes

The Devils-Rangers rivalry is no longer as lopsided as it once was, but it's still missing something. A playoff series.

Knicks Notes

Brown: I'm OK Larry Brown admitted that he went to a Memphis hospital Tuesday night, one day before the Knicks' loss to the Grizzlies. Brown complained of chest pains, but was found to be suffering from indigestion. He made light of it before the Knicks' game against Chicago on Friday night.

Knicks Again Refuse to Win ; Blow Late Lead to Bulls for Sixth Straight Loss

NEW YORK For most of the second half, this appeared to be a rare win for the Knicks. But then reality set in late in the fourth quarter. And it merely proved to be Exhibit 43 of why this team, as currently constituted, remains dysfunctional. The Knicks wasted several offensive possessions and were held scoreless during the final 1:32 of the game as Chicago secured a 108- 101 comeback victory at Madison Square Garden on Friday night. The Knicks (15-43) have lost six straight and 16 of their l...

Showdown at Doral ; Deadlocked Tiger, Lefty to Go Head-to-Head

MIAMI Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have been leaving their footprints on the Blue Monster for two days, their paths running parallel only on the few holes at Doral where the front nine meets the back. That won't be the case today.

Kobe Hits 16,000 Points ; Lakers' Guard Youngest to Reach Milestone

Kobe Bryant became the youngest player to score 16,000 points in an NBA career on Friday, passing his latest scoring milestone in the first quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' game against Golden State in Oakland, Calif. Bryant was 27 years and 192 days old four days younger than Wilt Chamberlain when the Hall of Famer scored his 16,000th career point on March 5, 1964. Michael Jordan was the third-youngest, reaching the mark at 28 years, 31 days.

Kings Shoot Down Hawks ; Sacramento Registers Third Consecutive Victory

Brad Miller scored 24 points to lead five Kings in double figures in Sacramento's 102-93 win over the Hawks on Friday in Atlanta. The Kings, who have won three in a row, also got 19 points from Kevin Martin, 18 points each from Ron Artest and Mike Bibby and 12 from Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

Rj Softens Position ; Jefferson: 'Frustration' Was Cause of Outburst

EAST RUTHERFORD Whether Richard Jefferson gets enough touches or shots is a topic worthy of debate, one that he and Nets coach Lawrence Frank discussed briefly. Jefferson said he has no problems with the Nets' offense and that his remarks suggesting that he did after Wednesday's loss in Minnesota were borne out of frustration from having dropped three straight games.

Hall May Punch Ticket After Squeezing Pitt

Donald Copeland scored Seton Hall's last seven points over the final 1:56 and the Pirates ended No. 8 Pittsburgh's 16-game home winning streak with a 65-61 victory Friday that greatly improved their NCAA men's basketball tournament chances. Aaron Gray missed two free throws with 8.5 seconds remaining that would have tied it for Pittsburgh (21-6, 10-6 Big East), and Copeland followed several seconds later with two free throws to deal the Panthers their second consecutive loss and third in four...

Nfl Settlement Could Be Near

Maybe the two sides won't tumble over the brink after all. There were signs Friday the NFL owners and Players Association were making progress in talks toward extending their Collective Bargaining Agreement, which is scheduled to expire after the 2007 season.

Jets Issue Price Hike

The Eric Mangini era of Jets football comes with a cost: The Jets are raising the ticket prices on 60 percent of their Giants Stadium seats for the coming season. The increase is being announced in invoices mailed to season- ticket holders. Individual seats to all the Jets' pre- and regular- season games will run from $65 to a new top price of $90.

Martinez, Spiegel Spark Wpu

NEW YORK Passaic's Luis Martinez and his William Paterson teammates were deeply discouraged when they failed to qualify for their conference men's basketball tournament a year ago. A year later, the Pioneers are back in the NCAA Division III tournament and trying to make the most of their first appearance since 2002. William Paterson jumped out to a 10-2 lead and never trailed en route to a 70-45 first-round victory over Scranton at Baruch College on Friday.

Clark Leads St. Peter's, Passes the Big O

Keydren Clark scored 19 points to jump past Oscar Robertson on the NCAA career scoring list in leading St. Peter's to an 80-51 win over Rider in the first round of the MAAC men's basketball tournament Friday in Albany, N.Y. Kevin Spann and Raul Orta had 12 points each and Todd Sowell had 11 rebounds for the Peacocks (15-14), who will play Siena in today's quarterfinals at 5 o'clock.

Sports Briefs

BASKETBALL Duquesne coach Danny Nee resigned, a day before the Dukes (3-23) finish the worst season in school history. He will coach today's game against St. Joseph's, concluding his five-year tenure. * Mississippi coach Rod Barnes won't return to the Rebels next season, athletic director Pete Boone said. * Tim O'Toole stepped down as Fairfield's coach, saying he knew he contract was not going to be renewed.

Fair Lawn Freshman Reverses the Tide

HACKENSACK As he was heading to the locker room after the second period, Fair Lawn coach Cory Robinson made a quick statement that summed up the Cutters' postseason so far. "Not that it's over yet," Robinson said with the Cutters ahead by three goals en route to a 6-0 victory over Ridgewood on Friday in the second round of the State Public ice hockey tournament, "but those were the saves we needed last week."

Returning Champions Show Knack for Winning

LITTLE FALLS It was a rough night to be a freshman and an easy night to be a returning champion at the Region 4 wrestling tournament. Passaic Valley senior Mike Bastante, St. Mary's senior Dave Greenwald and Clifton senior Corey Bleaken all took a step closer to repeating as Region 4 champions while freshman standouts Vince Perry of Passaic Tech and Glenn Canicci of St. Mary's suffered close losses in the quarterfinals at Passaic Valley High School.

Buirkle, Lisanti Advance to Semis

HACKENSACK Mahwah's Tim Buirkle and Westwood's Anthony LiSanti have suffered their share of close losses in their wrestling careers. That's why neither one was going to let a win slip through their fingers in the NJSIAA Region 2 quarterfinals Friday night. Buirkle, who lost by a point in the quarterfinals of last year's tournament, got a takedown in the first overtime to edge Frank Gallucci of Paramus, 3-1, and advance to this morning's semifinals at 160 pounds.

Wv's Rigoglioso Seizes an Opportunity

HARDYSTON Wayne Valley freshman 103-pounder Luke Rigoglioso sat in the stands wondering what would happen if someone didn't make weight. He liked the answer.

Englewood Living Large ; Big Guys Key to Victory

Englewood tried a new formula of more size and less speed, and it could lead to a repeat as North 1, Group 2 boys basketball champion. Seventh-seeded Englewood defeated No. 3 Hopatcong, 68-57, in Friday night's semifinal at Hopatcong to advance to Monday's final at Northern Highlands against top-seeded Westwood.

Haledjian Lifts Pascack Hills

Senior guard Julie Haledjian scored a team-high 16 points and made four key free throws down the stretch as No. 6-seed Pascack Hills held off a furious charge to hold off third-seeded Becton, 48- 46, in East Rutherford and advance to the North 1, Group 1 semifinals. Karen Lassoni scored a game-high 25 points for Becton. The senior guard had 16 in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats outscored Pascack Hills, 22-9.

Kennedy Gives Eastside Taste of Its Own Medicine

PATERSON Kennedy watched as Eastside danced on the court in celebration of the Passaic County girls basketball tournament championship at its expense six days earlier. The rematch came Friday night in the North 1, Group 4 semifinals and this time Kennedy got its revenge.