Date: 03/27/2013 05:29 AM
NW–SportsMinute/451
Here is the latest Washington, Oregon and Alaska sports news from The Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Sacramento is in a stronger position to convince the NBA to keep the Kings from moving to Seattle with a deal now in place to build an 18,500-seat arena downtown. The Sacramento City Council voted 7-2 yesterday to approve a deal that contributes $258 million to the $447 million project. The city plans to use money earned from leasing parking garages for events at the arena to help pay the public cost of the new arena on the current site of an aging shopping mall. The other $189 million will come from the California investment group seeking to have the NBA negate the team’s pending sale.
SYDNEY (AP) – Lauren Jackson says she has no plans to play basketball until she returns to the Seattle Storm next May for the 2014 WNBA season, and that she’s experiencing no pain for the first time in three years. Jackson, who has won four Olympic medals with Australia, including a bronze last year at the London Games, underwent surgery on her right hamstring in January – a chronic injury which she says nearly forced her to retire. Jackson has not played a full WNBA season since 2010.
SEATTLE (AP) – Washington women’s basketball coach Kevin McGuff has agreed to a contract extension that goes through the 2020 season. The school announced the extension yesterday. Terms were not immediately released. McGuff’s original deal signed in the spring of 2011 was for five years. McGuff just completed his second season at Washington. The Huskies posted 20 wins for the second straight season, the first time Washington has won 20 games in consecutive seasons in nearly two decades.
PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) – The Kansas City Royals set a team record for spring training wins with their 23rd victory, beating the Seattle Mariners 11-6 yesterday behind Brett Hayes’ four hits. Hayes tripled and drove in two runs. The Royals had 18 hits, including seven doubles. Lorenzo Cain, Jarrod Dyson and Miguel Tejada (tay-HAH’-dah) added two hits for KC. The Mariners took a 4-1 lead before a six-run seventh for KC. Mariners starter Jeremy Bonderman gave up seven runs and 11 hits in 5 1-3 innings.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – Cory Schneider stopped 17 shots and Maxim Lapierre scored the only goal in a shootout and the Vancouver Canucks won their fifth straight by defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0 yesterday. Schneider only saw two shots in the first period, but stopped 15 in the final 45 minutes for his seventh career shutout, and third this season. He stopped all three Columbus attempts in the shootout, including Matt Calvert’s deke attempt to clinch the win.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.