ATLANTA — Angel McCoughtry scored a WNBA playoff-record 42 points to win a high-scoring duel with Cappie Pondexter, and the Atlanta Dream beat the New York Liberty 105-93 on Tuesday night to complete its unlikely march to the league finals.
Pondexter led New York with 36 points, her postseason high mark, and nine assists.
Atlanta will face the Western Conference champion Seattle Storm in the WNBA Finals. The best-of-five series begins Sunday in Seattle.
Sheppard breaks kneecap
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Wild center James Sheppard broke his left kneecap in an off-ice accident Saturday night in Vail, and there is no timetable for his return.
• The Montreal Canadiens signed center Jeff Halpern to a one-year contract for $600,000.
Kentucky recruit paid
ISTANBUL — The best recruit in Kentucky’s top-ranked recruiting class, Turkish center Enes Kanter, received more than $100,000 in cash and benefits over three years from his professional basketball team, according to the team’s general manager.
The general manager of Fenerbahce Ulker, Nedim Karakas, said the club had given banking and housing records to the NCAA that showed Kanter received benefits that could jeopardize his amateur status for college basketball.
Fenerbahce stands to benefit if Kanter is declared ineligible to play college basketball because the team would be due a transfer fee if he plays in Europe next season. But Karakas said turning in the documents to the NCAA eligibility center was a matter of telling the truth.
“I am sorry for telling this for Enes, but we cannot lie if someone asks the whole story, we cannot hide,” Karakas said.
The NCAA, which does not comment on specific cases, is reviewing Kanter’s amateur status.
• Connecticut filed its response to allegations of major recruiting violations in its men’s basketball program, but won’t make that response public this week.
• Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins, 65, retired a year earlier than he vowed in June.
Schleck, O’Grady sent home
MADRID — On a day Imanol Erviti of Spain won the 10th stage and countryman Joaquin Rodriguez took the overall lead in the Spanish Vuelta, Team Saxo Bank said Andy Schleck and Stuart O’Grady had been “sent home due to internal disciplinary reasons.” Schleck said he and O’Grady broke a team rule “by going out for a drink after dinner.”
Footnotes.
Luis Scola scored 37 points, carrying Argentina to a thrilling 93-89 victory over Brazil and into the quarterfinals of the world championship. In another game, former Nuggets forward Linas Kleiza scored 30 points to lead Lithuania over China 78-67.
• D.C. United defender Marc Burch underwent season-ending surgery on his right foot.
• Kentucky horse racing officials extended the state’s power to drug test horses, passing a measure that will allow them to test any horse eligible to race in the Bluegrass State anywhere at any time.
Denver Post wire services
