Associated Press
LOS ANGELES ó UCLA coach Ben Howland, who has guided the Bruins to the Final Four each of the past three years, agreed to a new seven-year contract Tuesday.
The deal, which adds one year onto the agreement he signed last October, runs through the 2014-15 season and includes a guaranteed $1.97 million for next season, rising to $2.3 million in the final year of the contract.
* CLINTON, S.C. ó Mark Berger, a former Cincinnati staffer under Bob Huggins, has joined Presbyterian as an assistant basketball coach.
* ST. LOUIS ó Saint Louis assistant coach Paul Biancardi left the program to become ESPNís national director of high school and college basketball recruiting.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
ATHENS, Ga. ó Two Georgia football players have been arrested and jailed on charges of simple battery.
The Athens-Clarke County Jail report shows offensive linemen Justin Anderson and Trinton Sturdivant were both released Monday within hours of their arrest on $1,500 bonds.
Sturdivant, 19, is a starting tackle from Wadesboro who played at Anson County.
The incident allegedly occurred early Friday morning at the East Campus Village dormitory on the universityís campus. The woman who made the complaint said she and a friend were returning to the dorm about 1:30 a.m. when they encountered Anderson, Sturdivant and another unidentified male. She said they touched her without permission and began following her.
Affidavits filed with the Athens Clarke County Court stated the players idid intentionally make physical contact of an insulting nature with (the alleged victim).î
Ed Tolley, an Athens lawyer who is representing the players, said the charges are unfounded.
iThe only thing I can tell you is Iíve talked with both boys and they absolutely deny they did anything of an offensive nature,î Tolley said. iTheyíre completely shocked that this allegation has been made.î
* BATON ROUGE, La. ó Five members of the LSU football team ó three on defense and two on offense ó have been named to watch lists for the 2008 Maxwell and Bednarik Awards.
The Maxwell Football Club announced that defensive end Tyson Jackson, linebacker Darry Beckwith and defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois are on the Bednarik list.
LSU wide receiver Demetrius Byrd and running back Keiland Williams are among 75 players from across the country named to the watch list for the Maxwell Award, which goes to the most outstanding collegiate football player.
* TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ó Former Alabama football player Jimmy Johns faces an August 12 preliminary hearing on felony drug charges.
Johns is charged with five counts of selling cocaine and one count of possession of a controlled substance. His attorneys requested the hearing, and Johns is required to attend.
* FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. ó A motorist has a windshield needing replacement and Arkansas backup linebacker Wendel Davis has an injured hand after a non-injury accident Tuesday that was followed by Davis dismounting from his motor scooter and pounding on the windshield of the car that bumped his vehicle, police say.
* OXFORD, Ohio ó John Pont, who guided Indiana to its only Rose Bowl appearance 40 years ago and also coached at Northwestern, Yale and Miami of Ohio, died Tuesday.
Pont, who had been fighting cancer, was 80.
NFL
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. ó The New England Patriots released defensive back Willie Andrews one day after he was arrested for allegedly pointing a handgun at his girlfriendís head.
The 24-year-old Andrews, primarily a special teams player, was being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing Thursday following his second arrest this year.
* CHICAGO óThe Chicago Bears signed defensive tackle Marcus Harrison to a four-year contract and agreed to four-year deals with wide receiver Earl Bennett and cornerback Zack Bowman.
WNBA
ATLANTA ó Diana Taurasi had 28 points and the Phoenix Mercury beat the winless Atlanta Dream 97-79.
The expansion Dream extended its WNBA-record losing streak to 16 games.