Scuffle mars Sparks' win

Candace Parker scored 21 points and DeLisha Milton-Jones added 19 before both were ejected after a scuffle in the final minute as the Los Angeles Sparks held on to beat the Detroit Shock, 84-81, last night.

The game turned ugly in the final seconds as a collision between Parker and Detroit's Plenette Pierson turned into a shoving match that saw players and coaches from both teams leave the bench.

Shock assistant coach Rick Mahorn, who was involved in the Pistons-Pacers brawl Nov. 19, 2004, as a Detroit broadcaster trying to break up the fight, appeared to shove Lisa Leslie to the floor at one point.

Parker, Milton-Jones, Pierson and Mahorn were all ejected, while Detroit's Cheryl Ford left the floor on a wheelchair after getting injured while trying to restrain Pierson.

More pro basketball

Scholanda Robinson scored a career-high 17 points to lift the Sacramento Monarchs to their fifth consecutive victory, a 79-66 win against the Atlanta Dream.

Boxing

Joe Calzaghe postponed his proposed September fight against Roy Jones Jr. because of a sprained right wrist.

Jones accepted the delay, telling The Associated Press that he wants the Welshman to be at his best when they finally fight.

Calzaghe, 36, who is unbeaten in 45 professional fights in a 15-year career, injured his hand Sunday in training for the Sept. 20 bout while punching pads.

Calzaghe planned to see a hand specialist and the light-heavyweight fight is expected to be rescheduled for later in the year, possibly in November.

• Former IBF champion and McKees Rocks native Paul Spadafora, who had knee surgery June 3, returned to the gym yesterday.

College football

The Iowa Board of Regents has reopened its investigation into how the University of Iowa handled an investigation into the alleged assault of a woman by two football players. The mother of the woman who claims she was raped Oct. 14, sent letters to University of Iowa President Sally Mason that were not disclosed to the regents until last week.

In the letters, the mother said officials encouraged her daughter, also an Iowa athlete, to pursue resolution "informally" and within the athletic department. Abe Satterfield and Cedric Everson, who have left the football team, are accused of sexually assaulting the woman at a campus dorm.

• The Sun Belt Conference announced that it has signed agreements with the St. Petersburg Bowl, the Papajohns.com Bowl and the PetroSun Independence Bowl. The agreements will be in effect for the 2008 and '09 bowl games.

Auto racing

A fueler for De Ferran Motorsports was transferred to a burn center and his condition was upgraded from critical to serious. Keith Jones was injured in a pit fire Saturday during the American Le Mans Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, just the second event for the newly formed team headed by former Indianapolis 500 winner Gil de Ferran.

Horse racing

A system for tracking injuries to thoroughbred racehorses is being enacted on a national level. The Jockey Club announced the launch of the Equine Injury Database system for monitoring on-track racing injuries. Most major tracks already have been keeping track of injury data for the past year in a pilot program.

Amateur baseball

The Pittsburgh Typos defeated the St. Louis printers, 13-4, in the third round of the UPIBL 100th tournament in Fort Myers, Fla. Pittsburgh remains alive at 1-2 in the round-robin tournament. Pittsburgh plays Boston today. Left fielder Joe Muraco was 4 for 5 with three RBIs for the Typos.

Wild Things

Washington fell to the Kalamazoo Kings, 6-4, despite a strong start from starter Aaron Ledbetter. Ledbetter held the Kings to one run through six innings but was hurt by four unearned runs in the seventh.

Riverhounds

Pittsburgh's Thabiso "Boyzzz" Khumalo has been named player of the week in the United Soccer League's Second Division for Week 14.